Ponant has launched its ninth ship to the fleet and the fourth in its Explorer class. The new Le Dumont-d’Urville was delivered on June 14 to the line from the port of Søvik in Norway’s Bergen.

The ship is currently on her first maiden cruise and her official season starts on August 7, 2019.

“Such a delivery rate is a first in the history of the French merchant navy: this is the fourth ship in the series delivered in the last 12 months,” said CEO of Ponant, Jean Emmanuel Sauvée.

“The substantial expansion of our fleet allows us to offer our guests an increasing number of destinations, exceptional voyages and high-quality services. Market feedback is indeed excellent with very high levels of bookings.”

The first itinerary for her maiden season is an eight-night sailing called the Historic Cities of the Baltic Sea. From there, the new ship will sail the French coasts and the Mediterranean with calls to Honfleur, Lisbon and Dakar.