After the lighting of the Flame in Greece next year, the three-masted Belem is scheduled to depart from the Athenian port of Piraeus for a 12-day journey across the Mediterranean.

The ship was commissioned into service in 1896, the year the first modern Olympics were staged in Athens and has been specially restored for the occasion.

On board will be a group of young people chosen in association with the Belem Caisse d'Epargne Foundation which has sponsored the refurbishment.

The young people will help crew the vessel during its voyage before arriving in Marseille on May 8, 2024.

"The Belem will make a complete tour of the harbour, north and south, before mooring in the Old Port," Paris 2024 ceremonies and celebrations director Delphine Moulin explained.

It is not the first time such a ship has been used to carry the Olympic Flame.

Another sailing ship, the training vessel Amerigo Vespucci was used to transport the Flame from Greece to Italy before the 1960 Olympics in Rome.

The Flame is set to be lit from the rays of the sun in Ancient Olympia on April 16, 2024 and reserve Flames will also be retained in case of any mishap.

They will be carried on board the ship in special safety lamps.

Paris 2024 are preparing an evening of celebration to welcome the arrival of the Flame on French soil and anticipate that a flotilla of small boats will escort the Belem on its arrival.

"It will be free with access to all, we want everyone to come and see," Moulin added. 

"The fact that it can navigate in the harbour will also allow a certain number of boats to be involved, We want to create this enthusiasm, both in terms of water and land." 

As the ship docks in Marseille, a Torch Bearer is expected to disembark onto a specially constructed 400 m² polyethylene pontoon facing the Canebière, the historic high street in the old quarter of the city. 

The pontoon is to be manufactured by Marine Floor Europe and is expected to have the appearance of a running track.

There is also to be a concert at the harbour side to bring proceedings to a close.

The Flame is then scheduled to embark on a journey across French territories during which it will be taken to the Caribbean and also to Tahiti where the Olympic surfing competitions are to take place.

It is scheduled to make its arrival in Paris on July 14, the French national day of celebration known as Bastille Day and is to be carried along the Champs-Élysées.

The Games are set to open on July 26, 2024 after an Opening Ceremony on the River Seine, but the precise final location of the cauldron has not yet been revealed.

At both the Rio and Tokyo Games, the Flame was positioned in waterside locations in the respective host cities.