THE CRUISE SHIP SECTOR is lining up to dock in Barbados for Cricket World Cup 2007.

With more than five months to go before the big event, 18 ships have requested berthing space at the Bridgetown Port.

The revelation was made by World Cup Barbados chief executive officer Stephen Alleyne during the Samuel Jackman Prescod Memorial Lecture on Thursday night.

With land-based accommodations expected to fall short of the required demand during the World Cup when 30 000 visitors are expected in Barbados in March and April, cruise ships will host a large portion of fans.

Tickets for the final have already been sold out and three of the six Super Eight matches at Kensington have also been in huge demand.

"Generally, the combination of ticket sales and hotel bookings leaves us to believe that Barbados has been successful in attracting the large number of visitors we expected," Alleyne said.

"The next step is to ensure that our plan maximises our visitor arrivals and world attention which we experience during the tournament and we must do this by hosting the most outstanding final ever held."