By Tim Greenfield Bermuda's love of romance on the high seas has scored a hit with the oldest shipping line in the world.

A law passed last year which allowed weddings to be performed on Bermuda-registered vessels has helped lure Princess Cruises to the Island with a portion of its fleet.

Owned by P&O, the company is registering two cruise ships, the Grand Princess and Crown Princess , in Bermuda. The remainder of the ten-ship fleet will be registered in the UK.

Princess spokesman Julie Benson said: "It is the ability to perform weddings on the Grand Princess if it is registered in Bermuda. If it is the UK, it is not something we can do.

"This is the first time we have had Bermuda-registered ships. The British and Bermuda registries are known for having some very high operating standards.'' Currently under Liberian registry, the vessels join two Princess ships already sailing under the "red ensign'', the Pacific Princess and Royal Princess .

The Pacific Princess will start sailing to Bermuda this summer, replacing the weekly schedule previously operated by Celebrity Cruises' Horizon .