Four years after Dutch carpenter Johan Huibers completed his fully functional, full-scale replica of Noah’s Ark — a multi-year project that followed the biblical measurements found in Genesis — the vessel is slated to travel 5,000 miles along the Atlantic Ocean from the Netherlands to Brazil.
The Ark of Noah Foundation, a group based in Pasadena, California, is raising money to fund the massive trip, which will unfold during the summer of 2016 — a voyage that will be live streamed for the world to see, as the ship sails to the cities of Fortaleza and Rio de Janeiro.
The ship, also known as “Johan’s Ark,” will also visit San Diego, Long Beach, San Francisco and Seattle when it later makes its way to the U.S.
The goal is to raise funds to create Ark of Hope centers throughout Brazil that will help educate and provide support for the underprivileged, according to a press release.
“The Ark is a massive replica that is interactive, informative, cultural Biblical event center,” a statement explains. “Noah’s Ark provides a Judeo-Christian, Bible based experience for young and old.”
Huibers’ ship, which weighs around 2,500 tons and is 95 feet wide, 75.5 feet high and 410 feet long and can accommodate 5,000 people, has already been on full display since 2012, with visitors in the Netherlands being able to experience interactive, biblical-themed displays.
Huibers decided to build a life-size replica of Noah’s Ark after embarking on aid projects in Bosnia, Albania and Ethiopia — and reportedly after having a dream that officially led him to start planning and constructing the vessel.