Ponant, the French boutique cruise shipping company, says its fifth luxury cruise ship Le Lyrial, ordered from Fincantieri, was launched on October 23 at the Ancona shipyard in Italy. The ship is to be delivered in Spring 2015.

"After Le Boréal (2010), L’Austral (2011) and Le Soléal (2013), the launch of Le Lyrial concludes this unique series of four beautiful yachts loyal to the Ponant spirit," said the company which is owned by London based private equity group Bridgepoint. "Like her sisterships, Le Lyrial embodies a subtle atmosphere, a combination of luxury, intimacy and wellbeing which is the company’s signature."

"The elegance of her exterior and interior lines and intimate size (only 122 staterooms and suites, compared to 132 in the sisterships) make her a rare and innovative ship on the cruise market, giving passengers the feeling they are on a private yacht," Ponant said in a statement.

Designed by Jean-Philippe Nuel the ship’s welcoming contemporary interior mirrors the company’s destinations and the blue light of the Vega star in the Lyra constellation from which Le Lyrial takes her name. Shades of blue combine the luminous delicate grey-blues of the Polar ice with splashes of turquoise from Mediterranean coves.