In 1986 Jean-Emmanuel Sauvée, a young French Merchant Navy officer and travel enthusiast, decided to fulfil his dream by creating an innovative concept: showcasing the art of travelling at sea in the finest French tradition. Two years later in 1988, La Compagnie des Îles du Ponant was created on 1st April with fourteen shareholders. The name “Ponant” means “the west” in Latin but also reflected the destination of one of the first itineraries planned, a cruise around the Ponant Isles.

The Le Ponant project began in 1989 and the 1,189gt three masted Barque of the same name was delivered in 1991 and remains with the company today. The company expanded its fleet in November 1998 with the delivery of 3,504gt cruising yacht Le Levant. She served the company for 13 years and was purchased by Paul Gauguin Cruises in 2012 and renamed Tere Moana. The vessel has operated for Grand Circle Cruises as the Clio since July 2016. In 2004 Ponant purchased the 8282gt/1974 built cruise ship Le Diamant and she remained in the fleet until October 2012 when she passed to Quark Expeditions.

In 2004, the French CMA-CGM Group, one of the global leaders in maritime container transport, became La Compagnie des Îles du Ponant’s major shareholder. The company subsequently established offices in Marseille (previously based in Nantes) and changed its name to La Compagnie du Ponant. Under the influence of CMA-CGM the first of four stylish and luxurious cruising yachts was delivered in 2010. The 10,944gt, 132 stateroom, 264 guest and 139 crew capacity Le Boréal was built by Fincantieri in Italy and then won the Gold Best Newcomer of the Year prize, awarded by the European Cruiser Association (EUCRAS). Sister vessel L’Austral followed later the same year. A second pair of these ships was also ordered and they were delivered in the form of the 10,992gt Le Soléal in 2013 and Le Lyrial in 2015.

In 2012, CMA CGM sold the operation to Bridgepoint Capital and another new chapter for La Compagnie du Ponant followed in autumn 2015 when the company joined the ARTÉMIS Group, a Pinault family holding. In 2013, Le Soléal became the first French commercial ship to traverse the Northwest Passage, departing Kangerlussuaq in Greenland on 26th August and arriving in Anadyr, Russia, on 16th September.

Exploring New Boundaries

The successful navigation of the Northwest Passage was a hint of things to come. In March 2016 Ponant placed an order for a quartet of new 9,976gt, 131.46m long, 18m beam, 4.7m draught and 1C ice-class expedition cruise ships, to be known as the Explorer Class, with the VARD Shipyard, a subsidiary of Fincantieri. Named after famous French Explorers, the ships would receive the names Le Lapérouse, Le Champlain, Le Bougainville and Le Dumont d’Urville (originally to receive the name Le Kerguelen).

The Le Lapérouse takes her name from Naval Officer Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse, born 1741. VARD, a Norwegian shipbuilding operation, has facilities in Langsten, Brattvaag, Søviknes, Aukra and Brevik in Norway plus elsewhere in the world including Vung Tau (Vietnam), Braila & Tulcea (Romania), Singapore and Promar, Brazil. The Explorers contract is being handled by the Søviknes shipyard, which was founded in 1936, is located at Søvik in Norway’s Haram municipality and employs 196 personnel. The closest city is Ålesund, 52km away.

VARD was listed at the Singapore Exchange on 12th November 2010 and in 2013 the majority shareholder became Fincantieri Oil & Gas S.p.A., a wholly owned subsidiary of Fincantieri S.p.A., which owns 79.34% of the Group. The shipyard at Tulcea in Romania on the Black Sea coast was established in 1975 and acquired by VARD in 2000. The facility is handling the construction of the hulls/superstructures of the Explorer Class ships. The keel for Hull No. 848 was laid on 20th February 2017 and the hull was launched on 18th December prior to a lengthy sea voyage under tow to Søviknes in Norway. Around 4 weeks later the vessel arrived and the fitting out process began. Le Lapérouse completed her first sea trials on 18th May 2018 with a backdrop of the stunning Norwegian coast. The new ship was delivered to Ponant on 15th June 2018 and sailed from her birthplace the next day bound for Reykjavik, Iceland, with Captain Jean-Philippe Lemaire in command. She arrived on 19th June in preparation for the start of her maiden cruise, a circumnavigation of Iceland on charter to Tauck.

On 10th July the inauguration of Le Lapérouse, was celebrated in the port of Hafnarfjörður, Iceland, in the presence of Maryvonne Pinault, the wife of French billionaire businessman François Pinault and the godmother of the ship. Also present were prominent political and cultural figures, international media and key partners. The ceremony was a vibrant Breton-inspired occasion, stimulated by Ponant’s 30th Anniversary this year. As Le Lapérouse sailed away from the port she was greeted by fleet mate Le Soléal, which was also positioned in Icelandic waters, and circled the new ship several times.

The construction of the five other ships in the series is well under way. The steel-cutting ceremony for the 5th and 6th vessels ordered in March 2018, Le Bellot and Le Surville, took place on 4th April 2018 in Romania. Both are scheduled for delivery in 2020 while Le Bougainville and Le Dumont-d’Urville will be delivered in 2019. More recently, the unfinished Le Champlain reached Norway on 27th April to complete the final phases of her construction.

Also, in December 2017, Ponant, the only French cruise line, ordered an icebreaking expedition cruise ship from VARD. The 274 million Euro vessel will be built to the second-highest Polar Class, PC 2, and will be capable of taking tourists to the North Pole. The vessel, the world’s first electric hybrid polar exploration ship powered by LNG and dubbed Ponant Icebreaker, is scheduled for delivery in 2021. The ship will be named Le Commandant Charcot after the 1867 born Jean-Baptiste Charcot

Capital Discovery

The sleek profile of Le Lapérouse graced the Pool of London in early September providing a remarkable contrast with HMS Belfast on her starboard side. This maiden call at a U.K. port enabled various members of the cruise media to visit the first of the 6 Explorer Class ships. As MBNA Thames Clippers now provide tender services to cruise ships moored on the River Thames, the small catamaran Sky Clipper had the task of transporting passengers and guests alike between Tower Pier and the ship. The vessel’s outline resembles a compact version of the larger quartet of ships that include Le Boréal but her smaller size makes her ideal for her role as an expedition cruise vessel.

Le Lapérouse has seven decks of which 6 feature public areas or staterooms. The décor throughout is chic, tasteful and very easy on the eye. Light and natural wood tones feature in abundance and the impression of space on a ship of these dimensions is prominent. The use of white leather is also of note for chairs, in the staterooms and in decorative accents in the corridors such as a background for the cabin door numbers.

Each member of the Explorer Class features a world first: the Salon sous Marin – Blue Eye, located in the ship’s bow on Deck 1 and designed in collaboration with Jacques Rougerie, an architect and member of the prestigious Académie Française. The innovative multi-sensorial and 6m long underwater lounge allows guests to discover and experience the underwater world via two portholes in the form of a cetaceous eye, looking out onto the sea bed. Non-intrusive underwater lighting and hydrophones integrated into the keel retransmit the natural deep water sounds into the lounge. The Blue Eye also boasts Body Listening sofas that discreetly vibrate to offer a unique sensorial listening experience by corporal resonance. As the name suggests, the Blue Eye Lounge is bathed in blue light when in use and there is also a bar and video wall that relays live images from three underwater cameras. Owing to the nature of the ship and where she sails, the portholes had to possess the ability to perform strength and safety-wise like the rest of the hull. This was achieved by the way the glass is integrated into a steel frame and how the steel frame is integrated into the hull structure. The remainder of Deck 1 and all of Deck 2 is set aside for machinery spaces and crew accommodation.

Located forward on Deck 3 is the 188-seat theatre with the medical centre aft of here. Fourteen of the 92 staterooms are also located on Deck 3 (13 Deluxe/1 Deluxe Suite). All have sea views and balconies throughout the ship. Located mid-ships is the 140m² reception area that includes a reception/concierge desk, an excursions desk, the ship’s administrative services, the sales office, a 50m² boutique plus screened seating forming a centrepiece.

The 200m² Grand Salon Le Nemo main lounge is aft of here offering lounge seating, a bar and dance floor. The outside stern deck offers an Al-Fresco bar & dining area, grill, sun deck and an infinity pool. The panoramic pool is equipped with a counter-current swimming system. Either side of the pool are stairs that lead to the marina stern deck one level down on Deck 2. This three-phase modular marina stern deck with incorporated adjustable height hydraulic platform can be a sun deck, an immersed connector port submerged 1m below the surface for disembarkation to one of the ship’s 10 Zodiacs (via a stairway at the stern) or a sea level deck perfect for water sports. While such a platform has been used before on small yachts, it has never before been used on cruise ships. Ponant has also developed an integrated lighting solution of 28 spotlights on the back of the hull to light up the bottom of the sea using LED technology.

The aft section of Deck 4 above includes an outside seating area plus the contemporary 260m² panoramic and 70-seat capacity Le Nautilus Restaurant. Guests do not have a set table or set dining time, just opening hours for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The remainder of Deck 4 is occupied by staterooms (23 Prestige Cabins & 1 Deluxe Suite) and likewise on Deck 5 where 29 Prestige Cabins, (26 of the Prestige Cabins are convertible into 13 Prestige Suites), 1 Deluxe Suite, 2 Privilege Suites and 2 Grand Deluxe Suites. The forward area of Deck 5 is the Navigation Bridge, which offers open access to guests at times when it is safe to do so. Above the Bridge on Deck 6 is the Jules Verne Observation Lounge with comfortable seating, sofas, library, bar and a sweeping panoramic window. Forward of here is also a large open-air observation deck and midships is the Art Gallery. The remainder of Deck 6 is cabin accommodation, 14 Prestige Cabins (including 10 Prestige Cabins convertible into 5 Prestige Suites), 2 Deluxe Suites, 2 Privilege Suites, 1 Grand Deluxe Suite with spa bath and shower and 1 Owner’s Suite with outdoor hot tub. Four of the suites on Decks 5 & 6 are 45sqm in area and overlook the stern – two per deck (Grand Deluxe & Owners Suites). The upper most level is Deck 7 where the Beauty Lounge, solarium, sauna (with an oval window and curved benches that look out over the passing ocean) and spa can be found plus outside deck areas and stowage for the fleet of Zodiacs.

The luxurious ship combines exceptional comfort, smooth lines and state-of-the-art technology. She is designed to explore the most remote areas of the world with respect for the environment and boasts Cleanship and Bureau Veritas certifications. The same engines have been used as are installed in Le Boréal and her sister ships, four 8-cylinder Wartsila 8L20 engines. The only difference is that the engines are now compliant with IMO Tier 3 regulations as each is fitted with a selective catalytic reduction system (SCR) to reduce NOx concentration in the exhaust gases. Le Lapérouse received the aforementioned international Cleanship notation as a direct result of using this environmentally friendly equipment. Elsewhere, energy efficiency was a key consideration with the proficiency of the propeller being boosted by using a variable pitch propeller within a variable speed propulsion model. Rolls-Royce provided the variable pitch propellers and the electric propulsion is provided by ABB. The set-up involves two shaft lines driven by electric motors, which have controllable pitch propellers at the end. The hull and the bulbous bow have been optimised, with the latter developed to suit low-speed sailing as Le Lapérouse has a maximum speed of 15-knots and an operating speed of 10 knots.

Another major boost to the energy efficiency of the vessel is the implementation of a central heat recovery system. Ponant designed the solution with Vard and it recovers heat from the main engines for use on the hotel load, including air conditioning and for potable water. A new Green Pilot system, developed by Vard Electro, is also fitted and used to save energy by way of sensors measuring the exact fuel consumption of every engine. It was decided not to install scrubbers and instead marine gasoil is used as environmental and efficiency benefits were said to be higher overall as scrubbers consume considerable amounts of energy.

Other environmentally friendly measures include the complete treatment of all fuel sludge being carried out on board using a new generation of Alfa Laval’s pure bilge oily water separator for bilge water treatment, avoiding discharge of bilge water.

Ponant Cruises’ fleet of ships are all registered in Mata-Utu and people often scratch their heads as to where this is. Well, it is located on the island of Uvéa, this is the capital of Wallis and Futuna, an overseas territory of France, which lies between Tahiti and Nouméa. Sistership Le Champlain was delivered in Norway on 27th September and operated a cruise around Norway as one of her first duties.

She was then christened at Honfleur, Normandy, on 25th October. Next for delivery are Le Bougainville and Le Dumont D’Urville in 2019 followed by Le Bellot and Le Surville in 2020. As she headed south the Le Lapérouse made her maiden call at Piraeus on 5th October.

Special thanks must go to Julie Giraud, Director of La Fontaine Public Relations for all the invaluable help with information and images.

All photos by Andrew Cooke

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS