Photo courtesy of Fincantieri shipyard
Ponant's new luxury cruise ship, Le Lyrial, met water for the first time on Oct. 23 at the Fincantieri shipyard in Ancona, Italy. Scheduled for delivery in May, the 11,000-gross-ton Le Lyrial will accommodate 260 passengers.
The new ship is the fourth sister ship for the French cruise line, which also operates L'Austral (entered service in May 2010), Le Boreal (April 2011) and Le Soleal (June 2013). The company also operates the 64-passenger sail yacht Le Ponant.
The launch godmother was Virginia Gohagan, wife of Thomas P. Gohagan, who is the CEO of Thomas P. Gohagan & Co., a travel agency in Chicago.
Le Lyrial - the name refers to the Lyra constellation in the northern hemisphere - will have 122 cabins and suites, all with a sea view and 94 percent with a private balcony. The lowest-category Superior Stateroom measures a roomy 226 square feet while Deluxe Staterooms are 200 square feet with a 43-square-foot balcony.
The ship was designed with cutting-edge technology to reduce environmental impact and save energy. It was awarded the "comfort class" classification by the certifying board Bureau Veritas for its low levels of vibration and noise.
The company formerly was known as Compagnie du Ponant, but recently shortened its name to Ponant.
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