CRUISE and Maritime Voyages called on the help of a famous face to welcome a new flagship into their fleet.

The firm welcomed a new flagship Columbus last Thursday, at a glittering ceremony at the London Cruise Terminal in Tilbury.

The 64,000-tonne ship will carry up to 1,400 people and will be cruising all year round from London-Tilbury.

TV personality Angela Rippon CBE was on hand to name the ship, and was promptly named its Godmother at the ceremony.

She joked: “I look forward to offering Columbus the same respect as my own godchildren.”

Angela later reminded the audience that Columbus discovered the New World of America on October 12 1492. “12th October is my birthday” she later said.

Chris Coates, Commercial Director at CMV, said Columbus would allow them to keep up with increased customer demand.

He said: “When we introduced Magellan to our fleet just over two years ago, I suggested that it would be a game-changer for us.

“Indeed it has been, and now we begin a new chapter as we proudly introduce our new flagship, Columbus, enabling us to respond to growing customer demand for traditional-style cruising on board mid-sized cruise ships. The arrival of Columbus means we are on course to carry 100,000 passengers in 2018 cruising from the UK.”

Columbus set sail from Tilbury on Sunday on her maiden three-night cruise to Amsterdam and Antwerp.