A NORTH-EAST cruise specialist has unveiled a ten-year plan to break through the £100m turnover barrier.

Sealand Cruising plans to increase turnover from £3m to more than £100m within ten years as it expands into Europe and the USA.

The company, which recently moved its headquarters from Richmond to Brompton-on-Swale, near Catterick, is embarking on a growth plan which could see staff rise from 26 into three figures.

Initially, Sealand Cruising - a travel agent specialising only in cruises - plans to raise its turnover to £10m within five years.

The company also plans to expand overseas once European restrictions on selling holidays to foreign tourists are lifted in 2007.

After that, Sealand plans to open an office in Florida, USA, and four offices in Europe, possibly in France, southern Italy and Germany.

General manager Kelvin Marsh said when that happens, turnover could end up at between £70m and £104m a year - fulfilling the company's ambition of being the biggest independent cruise centre in the UK.

Back in 2001, the company was a small-scale travel agent in the centre of Richmond.

Last May, it increased its staff to 12, and now it employs 26 at its new headquarters.

Mr Marsh said the company was also actively recruiting.

"This isn't because we are recruiting in the hope the business will expand - we are recruiting to keep up, because we have to.

"We could end up with 100 or more staff here over the next few years."

The company started specialising in cruises in 1998 and has grown steadily since.

With its plans to open satellite operations abroad, it hopes to cope with a growing demand for cruise holidays around the world.

Sealand's new building - known as the Telephone Repeater Station - is just off the A1 in Brompton-on-Swale, and has given the company 7,000 sq ft of office space.

A training facility is also planned for the site, in order to provide IT training for using the company's in-house "Cruise Solver" software, developed by managing director Ray Merry, and which is now being sold to other companies.

The company is also renting out 3,000 sq ft of space at its headquarters for conference and boardroom facilities until the company grows enough to fill the refurbished building -and breaks through that magical £100m mark.