Ponant’s cruise fleet now stands at seven vessels as the 180-guest Le Champlain was delivered to the French brand from VARD, in Norway, earlier this week. 

It it the second new build delivered to Ponant this year, and the second of six in the Ponant Explorer-class.

“When the French flag was raised for Ponant at the Sovik shipyard in Norway, the cruise line officially became the owner of the second ship in the Explorer’s series, Le Champlain,” the company said, in a statement. “Meanwhile, at the same time, passengers onboard L’Austral landed on the island of Wallis, where they were able to celebrate the first time that a Ponant ship had docked on this little slice of France amidst the vast expanses of the Pacific Ocean, as well as marking the company’s acquisition of Le Champlain.”