Le Bougainville Delivered To Ponant

Ponant have taken delivery of its third of six Explorer class cruise ships, Le Bougainville.

The 184-passenger vessel was delivery to Ponant, the only cruise line which operates flying the French flag, on 08 April 2019.

Following the delivery, Le Bougainville departed Søvik, Norway, headed for Malaga, Spain where the ship will arrive on 15 April to start its maiden voyage.

Jean Emmanuel Sauvée, CEO & Co-founder, Ponant, said: “A dream, firm beliefs, energy and boldness were what created Ponant It is by drawing on those roots and our expertise that Ponant is preparing today to meet the challenges of tomorrow, to surprise and delight our guests. I wanted the ships in the Ponant Explorers series to embody the very best in expedition cruise. Le Bougainville is the incarnation of that”.

Le Bougainville is the third of six brand new vessels to be delivered to Ponant. Le Laperouse and Le Champlain joined the fleet in 2018. The fourth, Le Dumont-d’Urville will be delivered in August 2019. Another two vessels, Le Bellot and Le Jacques Cartier will launch in 2020.

The cruise line also has an icebreaker expedition ship on order, Le Commandant Charcot, which is expected to debut in 2021. The innovative new vessel will be the world’s first electric hybrid polar exploration ship powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG).