Gently does it! Another major section of Southampton's record-breaking Queen Mary 2 is lowered into place and the 150,000-ton megaliner takes another step towards completion.

Gradually the largest passenger liner the world has ever seen is taking shape in the French shipyard of Chantiers de l'Atlantique in St Nazaire, with the construction programme on course for the ship's arrival in Southampton at the end of next year.

The latest addition to the ship was the dome that will be the centrepiece for one of QM2's most innovative passenger facilities - a planetarium.

Already hailed as one of the 21st century's most important engineering projects, Cunard's QM2 is set to be the biggest, tallest, widest and most expensive passenger vessel in shipping history.

QM2 is due to leave the shipyard's dry dock next March and then move to a fitting-out berth before undertaking an exhaustive series of sea-trials later in the year.

As building work gathers pace on the ship, developments are already under way in Southampton as the docks prepare new-look passenger terminal facilities in the Eastern Docks