Ponant has signed a deal with Vard shipyard for two new expedition ships due for delivery in 2022.
The vessels will sail in the South Pacific for Paul Gauguin Cruises, which French line Ponant acquired earlier this year.
The new ships will take Paul Gauguin Cruises’ fleet to three.
The line currently operates a ship called Paul Gauguin in the South Pacific.
The new 11,000 ton ships will accommodate around 230 passengers and will be hybrid electric.
Italian shipbuilding company Fincantieri, which owns Vard in Norway, has built four Ponant ships – Le Boréal, L’Austral, Le Soléal, and Le Lyrial between 2010 and 2015.
Vard will deliver Le Commandant Charcot, Ponant’s first hybrid electric polar exploration vessel powered by liquefied natural gas to Ponant in 2021.
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