Ponant Takes Delivery of Fourth Explorer Series Ship
by Daniel McCarthy /
Ponant this week welcomed the fourth of its Explorer Series ships, Le Dumont-d’Urville, when the vessel left Søvik, Norway.
Le Dumont-d’Urville will sail guests in 92 rooms and suites, all of which offer balconies or private terraces. It also features Ponant’s signature underwater multi-sensory lounge called the Blue Eye.
The ship will kick off its inaugural season on Aug. 7 with an eight-night, Baltic Sea sailing. It will then start a season of French coast and Mediterranean sailings, including calls at ports like Honfleur, Lisbo, and Dakar.
Le Dumont-d’Urville is the ninth ship overall for Ponant, which is in the midst of a growth period that will see the line grow to a total of 12 ships and 460 departures by 2021. Aside from the Explorer Series, the last two of which will arrive in 2020 (Le Bellot and Le Surville), Ponant has also recently added Icebreaker Ships, including Le Commandant Charcot that will arrive in 2021.
Le Commandant Charcot will sail with 270 guests in 135 cabins, and will bring guests to the geographic North Pole and Antarctica, including the Ross Sea, Charcot Island, and Peter Island. According to Ponant, both Charcot Island and Peter Island had been inaccessible prior to Le Commandant Charcot’s debut.
Ponant’s signature underwater multi-sensory lounge called the Blue Eye. Photo: Ponant.