Four new luxury expedition ships commissioned.
PONANT Yacht Cruises & Expeditions has this morning confirmed a letter of intent for the order of four new vessels, with the first to be delivered in 2018.
The additions will join the existing sailing yacht Le Ponant as well as expedition vessels Le Boreal, L’Austral, Le Soleal and Le Lyrial, with the new vessels continuing the company’s philosophy of small-capacity intimate cruising with 92 staterooms and a crew of 110.
PONANT’s new ships will be Ice Class ranked and equipped with the latest technologies, and the company will also introduce the concept of White, Blue and Green Expeditions. White Expeditions will continue PONANT’s longstanding polar region cruising, while Blue Expeditions will focus on explorations of Oceania and Green Expeditions will take passengers to South America, PNG or the Indian Ocean.
“The result willl be a host of unusual itineraries to get as close as it is possible to local cultures, rare and exceptional flora and fauna, during excursions on a unique fleet of Zodiacs with naturalists on board,” the company said in a statement.
More details in Travel Daily today and tomorrow’s issue of Cruise Weekly.