The ship – the line’s first new build since A-Rosa Flora in 2014 – will be built in Portugal and christened in May 2019.

With a maximum capacity of 126 passengers and a length of almost 80 metres, the ship will have four decks, spacious cabins and suites, a swimming pool plus spa and fitness area with a sauna.

A-Rosa will sail the Douro from May to November 2019 with a seven-night itinerary that travels from Porto, calling at Pinhao, Vega Terron, Bacca d’Alva (Salamanca), Regua, Entre-os-Rios and back to Porto.

For the first year, the UK market will be selling selected international departures dates and A-Rosa is currently in discussions with several tour operators partners about featuring it. More details will be announced in due course.

Lucia Rowe, head of A-Rosa UK and Ireland, said: “This is really exciting for us and the first big development since our new owners took over in January.

“The Douro is a beautiful river and one that our tour operator partners have been asking us to feature for several years. I am delighted that we can now deliver it.

“Our focus going forward is growth, both in terms of our fleet and our destinations and the introduction of the Douro is our first step towards achieving this.”