Ship for super-rich launches

A £182million ship billed as the world's first ocean-going luxury resort has docked in Greenwich.

The 648ft, 43,000-tonne vessel, The World, boasts 110 apartments and is designed to be a floating palace and playground for the super-rich. About 25 millionaires have already taken up residence, and around 80 per cent of apartments have been sold.

Twenty Britons including Peter Beckwith, father of socialite Tamara, have bought apartments, which range from £1.4 million to more than £5 million and feature marble bathrooms and private verandas.

A spokesman for the project said continental Europeans, North Americans, and people from the Middle East are also among the residents. Boxer Mike Tyson made an offer for an apartment, but was turned away by the board of residency because of his criminal record.

A source on the board, made up of Norwegian entrepreneurs, said: "It's one of the stipulations that to become a resident on the ship you cannot have a criminal record. Most of those on board are directors of firms from the FTSE 100 companies."

A spokesman for international estate agents F P D Savills said there were also famous people on board from the world of golf and racing. Residents must be worth at least $5 million (£3.5 million)

The vessel has 88 suites for rent, as well as shops, restaurants, a golf centre with real grass, two swimming pools, an art gallery and a medical centre with an operating theatre. "This is a new lifestyle - to travel the world without leaving your home," said billionaire Norwegian shipowner Knut Kloster, who came up with the idea in 1996. The ship was built in Norway by Bahamas-based firm ResidenSea.

Property developer Mr Beckwith, who bought a £2 million apartment, said: "I love the ship. If I had developed my properties in the way these have been done I would probably be bankrupt." The London visit is part of a trip which by the end of this year will have called at more than 120 ports in more than 46 countries. Tomorrow the liner heads to Lisbon.