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World's largest cruise ship sets sail for the first time

The ship, which is nearly 330 foot longer than Titanic, has around 500 of its maximum 2,000 crew aboard for tests.

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Harmony of the Seas, which cost almost £800million to build and weighs 227,000 tonnes, was helped from Saint-Nazaire port by six tug boats this afternoon.

Although there's no passengers on the ship yet, which is nearly 330 foot longer than the Titanic, there are still around 500 crew aboard as its continues its sea trial until Sunday.

Even when it was miles away from western France the 210 feet tall ship, with capacity for 6,000 passengers, could still be seen from the shore line as thousands of people gathered to see it on the water for the first time.

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For months, tourists have been allowed aboard to wonder at the luxury interiors of the ship that has 18 decks and stretches to 1,187 feet.

Three pilots who have trained on a simulator in nearby Nantes for the past year, helped the captain in the tricky manoeuvres needed to guide the hulking ship out of the Saint-Nazaire estuary.

The tugs first helped the ship back out of its berth before turning it around and then guiding it out to the open sea.

The pilots will leave the vessel once it is 12 miles out at sea.

When it is fully operational with passengers it will have 2,000 crew. It is more than three feet wider than the previous two largest ships in the world, Allure of the Seas and the Oasis of the Seas.

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Those ships are also owned by Royal Caribbean International which started work on Harmony in September 2013.

The next trial of Harmony will take place before the end of April, with delivery set for May 12. The purpose of trial this weekend is to test the ship's engine and how well it manoeuvres.

If the trials are a success it will head to the port of Southampton in May before it sets sail for Barcelona for its first cruise around the Mediterranean.

Source: Daily Mail

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