PORTLAND – A replica of the slave ship Amistad is open to the public during its weeklong stay in Portland.

The Amistad arrived at the Maine State Pier on Thursday as part of its 18-month journey to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trades in the United Kingdom and the United States.

The original Amistad was a coastal cargo schooner that was seized by about 50 African slaves who overpowered the crew while the ship was sailing from Cuba in 1839. The story was told in a 1997 film by Steven Spielberg.