Vard to build two more expedition cruise ships for Ponant

MARCH 7, 2018 — French cruise company Ponant has added two more luxury expedition cruise ships to the four it already has on order at Vard. They will be identical to their four sister vessels.

In addition to these six Explorer class vessels, Ponant’s orders at Vard also include what will be the world’s first cruise icebreaker with electric hybrid dual fuel LNG propulsion (see earlier story).

The approx 10,000 grt ice-class Ponant Explorers are about 131 m long and 18 m wide. Each vessel can accommodate 180 passengers in 92 staterooms and suites, each with a spacious balcony.

All six will be fitted with a “Blue Eye” multi-sensorial underwater lounge, a major innovation, that will allow passengers to discover and experience the underwater world via two portholes in the form of cetaceous eyes, looking out onto the sea bed.

The hulls will be built at Vard’s Tulcea, Romania shipyard with delivery of these two latest vessels is scheduled from Vard Søviknes, Norway, in the first and second quarters of2020 respectively.

The first vessel in the series of six will be delivered by the shipbuilder in second quarter 2018, followed by the delivery of the next three vessels in the period from autumn 2018 to summer 2019. and the delivery of the newly contracted vessels in 2020.

Vard will deliver the Ponant expedition cruise icebreaker in 2021.

Mr. Roy Reite, CEO and Executive Director of Vard, commented “We deeply appreciate the strong collaboration we have established with the Ponant team, resulting in seven luxury expedition cruise vessels under construction for operations on the world’s seas. We are honored to once again be chosen as the trusted partner for Ponant.”

Vard is 80.64% controlled by Fincantieri, which has built four vessels for Ponant, Le Boréal, L’Austral, Le Soléal and Le Lyrial, delivered respectively in 2010, 2011, 2013, and 2015.

Ponant is a subsidiary of the Artemis Group, the Pinault family’s holding company and headquartered in Marseille.