PONANT expands fleet with four new ships
French-flag cruise line for Polar expeditions, PONANT will expand its fleet with the signing of a letter of intent for the order of four ships from VARD, the Norwegian subsidiary of the Italian FINCANTIERI group.
The order marks the first step in a project to expand the company’s fleet since it was bought by ARTEMIS, holding company of the Pinault family, in 2015.
With an exterior designed by Sterling Design International, the ships will be equipped with the latest environmental preservation technology. They will join the Company’s emblematic sailing yacht Le Ponant and its sisterships, Le Boréal, L’Austral, Le Soléal and Le Lyrial, four state-of-the-art yachts built by FINCANTIERI between 2010 and 2015.
In keeping with its philosophy, PONANT has again opted for small-capacity, intimate ships. The four newcomers will be 128m in length with 92 staterooms, and have a crew of 110. Ice Class ranked and equipped with the latest technologies, these expedition ships will be easy to manoeuvre and able to reach sites that larger vessels cannot access.
French designer Jean-Philippe Nuel has again been given the task of designing the interiors. His remit is to create an ethnic chic universe inspired by driftwood, natural materials and colours, reflecting the spirit of sophisticated yet authentic adventure, in the image of the destinations proposed.
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