These are the latest exclusive Daily Echo photographs of Southampton's Queen Mary 2, the biggest passenger liner the world has ever seen due to arrive in port in December.

The scale of the 150,000 ton megaliner is simply enormous with the ship set to dwarf all other cruise ships in service today.

An army of workers is now fitting out the vast Cunard liner at the French shipyard of Chantiers de l'Atlantique in Saint Nazaire before she begins a crucial series of sea trials and tests this autumn.

The first true ocean going liner, as opposed to a modern day cruise ship, to be built since Southampton's Queen Elizabeth 2 entered service in May 1969, QM2 will be able to accommodate up to 3,090 passengers and 1,254 crew.

Already said to be one of the most sophisticated engineering projects of the 21st century, the towering decks of QM2 soar 200 feet above the waves, equivalent to a 23-storey building.

Specially designed to withstand the toughest of sea conditions for a lifetime of at least 40 years, QM2 is not only the biggest, widest, tallest and longest passenger ship ever built but at a cost of £550m, she is also the most expensive.

The nearest vessel to come anywhere near these statistics is Royal Caribbean International's 137,308 ton vessel, Explorer of the Seas that operates in and out of Miami, Florida on regular Caribbean

voyages.

With her specially thickened steel hull, strengthened to withstand the worst conditions the North Atlantic can throw at her on the traditional passage between Southampton and New York, QM2 is due to officially begin operation in January of next year.

QUEEN MARY 2 FACTFILE:

Owners: Cunard

Tonnage: 150,000 tons

Length: 1,1132ft

Beam: 135ft

Draft: 32ft 8in

Height, keel to funnel: 236ft 2in

Passengers: 3,090 maximum

Decks: 19

Passenger decks: 17

Service speed: Up to 30 knots