A real life size replica of the Noah's Ark is set to arrive in Rio de Janeiro in time for the Paralympic Games ©Getty Images

A real-size modern replica of the Noah’s Ark is set to arrive in Rio de Janeiro during the Paralympic Games in September, it has been announced.

The vessel, dubbed "Johan's Ark" after Dutch builder Johan Huibers, is built according to the exact dimensions outlined in the Book of Genesis in the Bible, meaning it is 75.5 metres high, 95ft wide and 410ft long.

It has room for 5,000 passengers and is billed as providing a "Judeo-Christian, Bible based experience for young and old".

The Ark, completed in 2012, is currently housed in The Netherlands but is expected to depart soon for its Atlantic crossing.

It cost more than £1 million ($1.5 million/€1.3 million) and was constructed by drawing together 25 steel barges to form a basin, with a heavy steel frame to keep it rigid.

The vessel is expected to sail the 5,000 miles to the city of Fortaleza in time for the Olympic Games before arriving in Rio in time for the Paralympic Opening Ceremony on September 7.

It is also expected to visit Argentina, Uruguay and Colombia.

The "floating museum" will then be open to tourists during the Games, it is hoped, before heading to United States afterwards.

"Bible-based stories and exhibitions" will be featured, along with "other attractions, a movie theater and more".

Dutch builder Johan Huibers sits near the Ark he constructed before leaving for its planned Atlantic crossing ©Getty Images
Dutch builder Johan Huibers sits near the Ark he constructed before leaving for its planned Atlantic crossing ©Getty Images

It will be particularly aimed at Brazil's large christian population, with exhibits in both English and Portuguese.

The 5,000 miles journey across the Atlantic is set to be live-streamed so the public can follow its progress. 

“We are so pleased with the very warm support of the private community in Fortaleza, our first stop in Brazil after crossing the Atlantic Ocean,” Ark of Noah Foundation, director Herald A.M.A. Janssen, told ABC News.

“The target is to reach Fortaleza in July, and reach the Paralympic Games 2016 in Rio de Janeiro by September 7.”

It had been hoped the vessel would have been ready in time to be moored in the Thames during the London 2012 Games, but this did not ultimately occur.

It is not yet clear where exactly in Rio de Janeiro it is hoped to be moored this time around.

Noah's Ark is the vessel in both Christian and Jewish faiths by which God spares Noah, his family, and a remnant of all the world's animals from a flood designed to cleanse the world of evil.

The story is repeated, with variations, in the Qur'an, where the ark appears as "Safina Nuh".