Ponant’s expansion continues with the delivery of Le Bougainville, its eighth vessel and the third in its Explorers series.
The ship, top of page, left Søvik in Norway as scheduled on 8 April bound for Spain where she sets sail on her maiden cruise on 15 April from Malaga. She will be officially inaugurated on 4 June.
“I wanted the ships in the Ponant Explorers series to embody the very best in expedition cruise. Le Bougainville is the incarnation of that,” said Jean Emmanuel Sauvée, CEO and co-founder of the French cruise line.
The Blue Eye multi-sensorial underwater salon on Ponant’s Explorer vessels ©PONANT-Philip Plisson
Ponant collaborated with Vard, the Norwegian subsidiary of the Italian shipyard, Fincantieri, both in terms of the design and construction of the new vessel.
Combining an intimate size with just 92 staterooms and suites, all with a balcony or private terrace, taut, sleek lines, refined design, cutting-edge technologies, respect for the environment and major innovations, Le Bougainville is the symbol of the new generation of ships flying the French flag.
As with all the Ponant Explorers, it is fitted with “Blue Eye”. This multi-sensorial underwater salon allows guests to discover and experience the underwater world via two portholes in the form of a cetaceous eye looking out on to the sea bed, non-intrusive underwater lighting, and hydrophones integrated into the keel retransmitting the natural sounds of the deep water.
The following Ponant ships are on schedule according to the construction timetable:
- Le Dumont-d’Urville – June 2019
- Le Bellot – scheduled for April 2020
- Le Jacques Cartier – scheduled for July 2020
- Le Commandant Charcot – scheduled for May 202