The Harmony of the Seas cruise ship leaves the STX shipyard of Saint-Nazaire, western France, for a three-day offshore test, on March 10, 2016. With a capacity of 6.296 passengers and 2.384 crew members, the Harmony of the Seas, built by STX France for the Royal Caribbean International, is the world’s largest ship cruise. / AFP / LOIC VENANCE
The world’s biggest cruise ship, which is 164 feet longer than the landmark Eiffel Tower and 50 meters longer than Titanic, is now on its first sea trial that will last until Sunday.
Harmony of the Seas, the 227,000-ton ship, was built by STX France Shipyards for US shipbuilder Royal Caribbean International (RCI) in September 2013. The colossal ship cost one billion euros ($1.1 billion) to build.
The newly-crafted cruise ship was anchored by six tug boats. These tugs assisted the vessel by turning it around from the Saint-Nazaire shipyard in France on Thursday and then accompanied it out to the open sea.
The cruise ship, which is gallantly distinguishable even miles away from the shoreline, can load 5,490 passengers and has a height of 70 meters (210 feet).
Harmony of the Seas is the world’s largest ship cruise. Photograph: Loic Venance/AFP/Getty Images
The ship set out on its trial run without passengers but still carried 500 of the total 2,000 crew, consisting mainly of engineers and suppliers. But for the past few months, tourists were allowed inside to tour the lavish interiors of the cruise ship while it was docked.
Harmony of the Seas has 18 decks and stretches up to 362 meters (1,187 feet). The ship is a meter longer than the twin cruising giants, the RCI-owned Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas.
“Three pilots who have trained on a simulator in nearby Nantes for the past year, helped the captain in the tricky maneuvers needed to guide the hulking ship out of the Saint-Nazaire estuary,” according to a report by Daily Mail.
The cruise ship will formally set sail on May 12.
The Harmony of the Seas cruise ship leaves the STX shipyard of Saint-Nazaire. Photograph: Loic Venance/AFP/Getty Images
A Loire river pilot looks at the Harmony of the Seas cruise ship as it leaves the STX shipyard of Saint-Nazaire, western France, for a three-day offshore test, on March 10, 2016 (AFP Photo/Loic Venance)
A woman takes a picture of the Harmony of the Seas cruise ship as it leaves the STX shipyard of Saint-Nazaire, western France, for a three-day offshore test, on March 10, 2016. / AFP / LOIC VENANCE
The Harmony of the Seas cruise ship leaves the STX shipyard of Saint-Nazaire, western France, for a three-day offshore test, on March 10, 2016. / AFP / LOIC VENANCE