Belem

The Belem is a three-masted square-rigged ship with a steel hull and is the only 19th-century French cargo sailing ship still in operation.

Built and launched in Nantes in 1896, she served as a French trade ship before becoming a private yacht under British colours and then a sail training ship. She was bought by Caisses d’Epargne in 1979 and entrusted to a foundation created in 1980, which was recognised as being of public interest and was put in charge of preserving the vessel as part of France’s maritime heritage and maintaining it in seaworthy condition. The Belem was listed as a historic monument in 1984. Between April and October each year, she takes in excess of 1,200 sailors on trips to learn how to handle a square-rigged three-master and discover life as a crew member.

She is the oldest tall ship in the world that still welcomes members of the public on board for coastal and high-sea sailing trips. The foundation also organises stops in many ports to allow members of the public to visit the vessel. Like a floating museum, Belem welcomes some 50,000 visitors each year, i.e. nearly 1,800,000 since 1980.