The Belem is set to undergo a major restoration

The Belem is returning to Saint-Nazaire for a new large-scale restoration, at a total cost of 5.5 million euros.
The hull will be largely dismantled and the ship will be completely demasted for the first time since 1980. The Belem, listed as a historic monument and the last French three-masted barque with a steel hull, was built in 1896 by the Dubigeon shipyard (Nantes).

More than 130 years

“The Belem is a ship that was not built to last 130 years,” recalls Christelle Hug de Larauze, general manager of the Fondation Belem Caisse d’Épargne – which has owned the ship for 45 years. The ship, which also served as a British pleasure craft and subsequently as an Italian training ship, “has been more fortunate than the other sailing ships of its generation, as it has been very well maintained by its various owners”. However, due to the passage of time and numerous sailing seasons, the hull – which was originally made of riveted steel – is suffering natural wear and tear, both on the outside and on the inside.

Signs of weakness

The last major restoration took place in 2023, a year before the ship carried the Olympic flame from Athens to Marseille for the Paris Olympic Games. A worn and corroded section of the hull, 7 metres long, 5 metres wide and weighing 25 tonnes, had to be replaced at the time in the dry dock at Saint-Nazaire by the Eiffage Group through its subsidiary Clemessy Services. On its return from the mission for the Olympic Games, the ship’s stern also showed some signs of weakness.

“We knew that, in the medium term, we would have to carry out major structural work,” said Christelle Hug de Larauze. Thickness measurements, carried out by Bureau Veritas – which issues the ship’s classification certificate every three years – showed that the hull thickness had decreased to critical thresholds at various points throughout the structure. Thanks to emergency repairs carried out in the winter of 2025–2026, the certificate was issued for a period of one year, on condition that large-scale works would be carried out from autumn 2026 onwards.

“The aim is for the Belem to continue sailing”

This period was used to collaborate with the Ministry of Culture, via the Regional Directorate for Cultural Affairs of the Pays de la Loire and the National Commission for Heritage and Architecture, to determine how best to preserve the ‘heritage value’ of the Belem, which has been listed as a historic monument since 1984.

As the Belem is still in service – for around five to six months a year, during which time, as a training ship, it welcomes nearly 2,000 trainees – the restoration must meet a dual requirement: to respect the original structures, materials and techniques as much as possible, whilst at the same time ensuring safety whilst at sea.

Concessions made during restoration

In practice, a few compromises have been made during the restoration work: the original riveted steel has gradually been replaced by welding, whilst the ship’s structures have remained intact. “The main objective remains for the Belem to sail, and the Ministry supports us in this,” emphasises the general representative of the Belem Caisse d’Épargne Foundation.

Back at sea in June 2027

The three-masted ship, which made a final stopover in Lorient this week before this crucial restoration began, is returning to Saint-Nazaire and the teams at Clemessy Services for its technical maintenance, which begins on 14 September. The initial work will take place on the quay for a month. The Belem will then be placed in dry dock, where she will be demasted – “a major first since 1980” – and stripped of 4,500 cast-iron ballast blocks (weighing a total of 225 tonnes).

Major structural work

The plating – the ‘skin’ of the hull – and the concrete at the stern will then be removed to create dual access – from the inside and the outside – to the ship’s skeleton. This ‘major structural’ work, which involves the stern, the central hold and the beams within it, will be punctuated by thickness measurements, so as to proceed step by step, zone by zone, and avoid further weakening the structure. The Belem is scheduled to return to the sea in June 2027.

Source: Mer et Marine
Photos: Clemessy Services 

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