Ponant’s newest Explorer yacht Le Champlain to be named in Saint Malo

The seventh and newest ship in Ponant’s fleet, Le Champlain had her hull built at Vard Tulcea in Romania and was handed over after outfitting by Norway’s Vard Søviknes on September 27.

Le Lapérouse, the first in the Exlporers series, debuted this summer and today arrived in Piraeus where representatives of Piraeus Port Authority management handed Capt. David Marionneau an honorary plaque and a gift of books for the ship's library.

A Saint Malo naming on October 26

Le Champlain will be named in Saint Malo on October 26 before charting a course for Latin America and the Caribbean.

All six Ponant Explorer series ice-class expedition cruise vessels will measure approximately 10,000gt, with a length of 131 meters and a beam of 18 meters.

Each can accommodate 180 passengers in 92 balcony cabins and four suites with bay windows and terraces.

All six will be fitted with a 'Blue Eye' multi-sensorial underwater lounge.

Next up for delivery are Le Bougainville and Le Dumont D'Urville, arriving in 2019, followed by Le Bellot and Le Surville in 2020.