The world’s fifth largest cruise ship is creating waves after arriving at Invergordon in the Cromarty Firth in Easter Ross.

MSC Meraviglia, which has capacity for 5,700 guests, more than the entire population of the Easter Ross town, is the largest such vessel ever to call at a Scottish port.

The vessel’s arrival yesterday comes as the Port of Cromarty Firth this year prepares to handle its largest number of cruise ship passengers yet, with an estimated 170,000 expected. The growth comes as ports across Scotland bid to capitalise on the country’s boom as a destination for cruise ships.

Plans have been unveiled to create a 150-metre jetty at Fort William’s waterfront, allowing it to accommodate a huge influx of cruise ships.

And in East Lothian, the site of the former Cockenzie power station is being proposed as a new cruise liner terminal.