- The World Dream made its maiden voyage away from the shipyard where it was built in Papenburg
- German ship company Meyer Werft’s shipyard is situated 20 miles inland on the narrow Ems river
- New ships must weave their way down the narrow river to reach open water at the North Sea
- The giant boat has a length of 335.35 meters, a width of 39.7 meters and a size of 151.300 GT
- It is so big that it was due to pass backwards over a distance of more than 30 kilometers
A giant, brightly painted cruise ship has been seen looming above the German countryside, sending herds of perplexed sheep running as it made its seemingly impossible journey down a narrow river.
An enormous shadow was cast over the otherwise peaceful, pastoral scenes in Papenburg, North Germany when new cruise ship The World Dream made its maiden voyage away from the shipyard where it was built and weaved backwards down the river.
Crowds gathered on the river banks to watch the dramatic spectacle as the giant boat with a length of 335.35 meters, a width of 39.7 meters, a size of 151.300 GT and a top speed of 24 knots passed by.
Crowds gather as cruise ship ‘World Dream’ leaves the Meyer shipyard port for the transfer on the Ems river in Papenburg
Sheep run on a meadow as the cruise ship ‘World Dream’ is transferred from the Meyer shipyard to the North Sea
A girl takes a photo of the dramatic scene as the colossal cruise ship sailed backwards down the Ems river, bound for China
Constructed by German ship builders Meyer Werft, the huge vessel was constructed in the company’s shipyard situated 20 miles inland.
The ships have a testing first journey to reach open water as they weave their way down a a comparatively narrow river.
The World Dream is so big that it was due to pass backwards over a distance of more than 30 kilometers.
The ship, which was being delivered to Chinese company Dream Cruises, is destined for the Asian market and features restaurants, casinos, cabins and entertainment all designed to appeal to its Asian market.
But the cows seem less perturbed as the giant ship sails past on the Ems river in northern Germany
Aerial view: The colossal cruise ship weaves through the narrow Ems river in Papenburg on route to its final destination in Asia
The vessel, built for the Chinese shipping company ‘Dream Cruises’, measures 335 meters in length
The ship was due to pass the Ems river towards the North Sea backwards over a distance of more than 30 kilometers