Venice  - A stylish new superliner with 225 luxury suites, a hilly, nine-hole golf putting course and a private diamond showroom has taken to the waves off the Italian city of Venice.

The 198-metre cruiser was built at the T Mariotti yard in Genoa and is the first of three 450-passenger vessels ordered by the Seabourn line for delivery by 2011. It is also the first major new luxury cruise ship to make its debut since 2003. The Odyssey weighs in at 32,000 gross tons.

The maiden voyage takes the Seabourn Odyssey to Istanbul before the ship begins a series of cruises on the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. An Atlantic crossing is planned for November. According to the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), a total of 14 cruise ships will be launched this year at a total cost of 14.8 billion dollars. (dpa)