( CNN ) -- Europe 's largest cruise ship , the MSC Preziosa , set sail on its maiden voyage from the western France port of Saint Nazaire on Thursday . The ship actually holds the title jointly with its sister ship the MSC Divina , which first set sail in May of 2012 . Both measure 333 meters long by 38 meters wide and can hold 4,345 passengers . The mega-ships each weigh 140,000 tons and can travel at speeds of up to 23 knots . Swiss-Italian cruise operator MSC Cruises says the ship has 30,000 square meters of public area , including pools , a casino and a theater . The boat is the 12th in MSC 's fleet , making it the world 's third biggest cruise line , according to company CEO Pierfrancesco Vago . The ship has quite the interesting back story . According to various reports , a shipping firm in Libya originally ordered it . But payments were halted in the wake of the Libyan revolution in 2011 . MSC Cruises stepped in and purchased the already-in-progress ship from builder STX France . The luxury cruise ship is now on its pre-inaugural 9-day/8-night cruise from Saint Nazaire , that will end in Genoa , Italy on Friday , March 22 . There a christening ceremony will take place before it departs on March 24 on its first official cruise . The five-night voyage begins in Genoa and includes stops in Naples , Messina , Tunis and Barcelona .
At 333 meters long , it is Europe 's equal biggest sailing ship . The ' Queen of the Sea ' at 362 meters is the world 's biggest . MSC Preziosa 's first official sailing will be March 24 .