Rendering courtesy of Ponant
French-flagged luxury expedition cruise line Ponant has announced during Seatrade Cruise Global 2016 that it will build four new ships to be constructed at VARD, a Norwegian subsidiary of Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri, who launched the company's last four vessels. The first is expected in 2018.
This time around, the ships will be a bit smaller than the last batch, measuring in at 128 meters in length, complete with 92 staterooms and a crew complement of 110. The vessels' exterior, reminiscent of the preceding ships' sleek look, will be designed by Stirling Design International and interior by Jean-Philippe Nuel.
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The line says the aesthetic will follow "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."
The new expedition ships will be the first to be built for the line since it was purchased in 2015 by Artemis, holding company of the Pinault family. They will be ice class-ranked and feature environmentally friendly technologies. Their small size will make them capable of navigating to more intimate destinations from White Expeditions in the polar regions to the Orinoco River.
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Other itineraries will be divided by blue and green designations with Blue Expeditions to Oceania, and Green Expeditions to the likes of South America, Costa Rica, Papua New Guinea and the Indian Ocean. Zodiacs will take guests up close with naturalists along for the ride.
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