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French cruise line and five-star expedition specialist, Compagnie du Ponant has commissioned another new yacht from the Italian Fincantieri shipyard.

Due to launch in spring 2015, this latest vessel joins a fleet of four cruise yachts, all flying the French flag: Le Ponant (32 staterooms), Le Boreal, L'Austral and Le Soleal (132 staterooms and suites). She will cruise up and down the shores of Alaska in summer and those of Australia and New Zealand in winter.

Like her sister ships, the vessel will qualify for the Cleanship label and embody the concept of Yacht Cruises as conceived by Compagnie du Ponant - namely a carefully thought-out design, attentive service and gourmet cuisine, enhanced by the comfort of state-of-the-art facilities.

This latest commission sends out a strong positive signal, further confirmation of the relevance of Compagnie du Ponant's investment and international development strategy, positioning the cruise line (which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year) at the exclusive end of the market. The market leader in the French-speaking luxury cruise markets (France, Switzerland and Belgium) and worldwide number one in the polar cruise market (both Arctic and Antarctic), Compagnie du Ponant carries 20,000 passengers a year, with a revenue of more than €85 million in 2012.

For Compagnie du Ponant this order is another step towards the future that proves the efficacy of our business model, stresses CEO Jean-Emmanuel Sauvée. It is a business model fully supported by Bridgepoint, which bought Compagnie du Ponant in September 2012 and has confirmed its confidence in the product by investing in this new ship.

After the excellent work achieved on the previous three yachts, the Fincantieri shipyard has been entrusted with building this fourth sister ship. French interior architect Jean-Philippe Nuel will be responsible for the sleek, modern and sophisticated design that has contributed so much to the success of Le Boreal, L'Austral and Le Soleal.

Specifically tailored to what our passengers seek, these intimate ships with their innovative design allow us to explore exceptional destinations in the most extreme regions, while enjoying a level of comfort that is second-to-none: a five star expedition and tailor-made service as conceived by Compagnie du Ponant, concludes Véronique Saadé, deputy executive vice president.