San Giorgio del Porto announced that it will handle a six-month refurbishment project of Le Ponant, the flagship 66-guest sailing yacht for Ponant.

The November to April refit period will employee around 200 people, according to a statement from the yard.

The work has already started, as furnishings were removed from the iconic ship toward the end of October at Chantier Naval de Marseille – a company founded by San Giorgio del Porto in 2010.

The ship left for the Genoa yard operated by San Giorgio del Porto on Oct. 30.

“This order makes us very proud because it strengthens the bond with a major partner such as Ponant,” said Manolo Cavaliere, Commercial Manager of San Giorgio del Porto. “This modernization project of one of the company’s flagship ships is of great value to us as it contributes to strengthening our position as a leader in Europe and as a world benchmark in the area of naval transformation, a sector in constant growth.”

“For this renovation, we want to rethink and reshape the interior space of our emblematic flagship, Le Ponant, to offer passengers a unique experience”, said Charles Gravatte, General Secretary, Ponant. “The ship’s transformation is part of Ponant’s general upscaling strategy and aims to pursue the increase of our standards of excellence to the highest level. We are pleased and confident in the expertise of the San Giorgio del Porto shipyards for this major project.”