World’s largest cruise ship sets sail from Miami

The world’s largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, began its maiden journey on Saturday as it set sail from Port of Miami in the US.

The vessel runs nearly 1,200 feet (365 meters) from bow to stern.

The ship — which is embarking on a seven-day island-hopping tour through the tropics — was officially christened on Tuesday with help from soccer star Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami teammates.

The Icon was built over a period of 900 days at a shipyard in Turku, Finland. It comprises of 20 decks and can accommodate 7,600 passengers at maximum capacity and a crew of 2,350.The $2 billion (€1.84 billion) Icon features the latest technology and, despite its gigantic size, claims to be more eco-friendly than some smaller cruise ships.

The Icon is powered by what the Royal Caribbean Group says is eco-friendly Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).

Some experts, however, say LNG systems can leak damaging amounts of methane gas into the atmosphere.