A new luxury residential cruise ship costing £1.2 billion is to be named after Benbecula.

The Dark Island is due to launch in 2028 and be built on the River Clyde. The liner, positioned to capture long-term cruise ship passengers, is 748 feet long and will have three restaurants, a ten-storey atrium, a theatre, a spa, a gym, a library, a pool and a crew of over 500.

Benbecula has often been referred to as 'the Dark Island' in traditional Gaelic songs and poetry.

However, Clydebuilt, the company behind the vessel, wishes to sell the bulk of its luxury suites before confirming the order. This includes hopes for the ultra-rich forking up to £41 million to purchase its top-end Hebridean residential suite.

They say the project will create 3,000 jobs on the Clyde, once home to over 200 shipyards that built the QE2 and the Queen Mary.

Nine years in the planning, the liner is ready to commence construction, and three shipyards are understood to be in contention. Although ferries and frigates continue to be built on the Clyde, it has been many decades since a cruise liner was constructed. The multi-billion cruise industry has long switched their orders to yards in Europe.

The maiden voyage is tentatively a three-year world cruise.

However, there is some scepticism. Only two of the numerous residential liners being floated as ideas have gone to sea.

Clydebuilt managing director Tommy McGinn told The Telegraph: “You always get cynics, but I’ve never asked someone to do what I’m not willing to do myself. We’ve taken the risk and ploughed our own money into it. We’ll have a big push now to sell the suites. We need as much assistance as possible to get this built on the Clyde.”

Image credit: Evan Marshall