Fincantieri’s Vard Group has finalized contracts for two new ships for Ponant’s Paul Gauguin Cruises, following a previously announced agreement.

The two ships, both slated for delivery both in 2022, will represent an evolution of Ponant’s Explorer class of vessels. They will sail in the South Pacific for Paul Gauguin in addition to the ship the brand already operates, thus bringing the number of ships under this brand to three. They will be built by the VARD group’s production network, and they will be about 11.000 tons with the capacity to accommodate about 230 passengers on board.

The new ships will be hybrid electric, featuring what Fincantieri called the most extensive battery package application in the market, allowing smokeless operation at anchor, in ports and in environmentally sensitive areas.

In order for the ships to have minimal environmental impact, Fincantieri said their design will be guided by three objectives: energy optimization to ensure minimal consumption, comprehensive hydrodynamic optimization of the hull, more energy-efficient equipment, and an innovative energy recovery system; reduction of underwater noise; and improvement of waste treatment with Cleanship Super classification from Bureau Veritas.

Fincantieri has already built four ships for Ponant at its Ancona yard, and VARD has built four Explorer-class ships for Ponant and will deliver the last two in the series in 2020, in addition to Le Commandant Charcot, the first hybrid electric polar exploration vessel powered by LNG in 2021.