Capitalising on the new Maltese law passed last month that sees civil marriages performed in international waters being recognised in Malta, cruise line operator Celebrity Cruises has announced it is to begin offering legal marriages, with ceremonies conducted by their ships’ captains.

The cruise line recently re-registered eight of its ships in Malta, while both the ships run by its high-end sister company, Azamara Cruises, are also registered in Malta.

Celebrity Cruises has said it is to begin offering legal, captain-led weddings at sea later this year. In the past, the line has offered packages that include vow renewal ceremonies and in-port weddings led by a local official, but never weddings at sea officiated over by a ship’s captain.

The initiative has been made possible by the recent Bill passed by the Maltese parliament allowing captains of Maltese-registered ships to conduct marriages that would be registered in Malta.

Basic captain-performed wedding packages, the company said in a statement this week, are to start at US$2,500.