Fincantieri and the French cruise line Compagnie du Ponant have signed a contract for the construction of a super-luxury cruise ship. The new ship will be the twin to "Le Soleal", the mini-cruise ship delivered last month, and follows "L'Austral" and "Le Boreal", delivered in May 2010 and April 2011 respectively.
Like the previous three ships, the new ship will also be assigned to Ancona shipyard and is scheduled for delivery in the spring of 2015. It will fly the French flag and will be approximately 11,000 gross tons, about 142 metres long, 18 metres wide and will have a cruise speed of 16 knots. She can accommodate more than 264 passengers in 132 cabins and suites, all with a sea view, 95% of which have a private balcony, and a crew of 140.
She will be built using the very latest in environmentally friendly technology, while her small size means that she will be able to reach ports and destinations inaccessible to larger vessels. Indeed this ship will cruise in Alaska during the summer, and in Australia and New Zealand during the winter.
Her interior will be designed on a "human scale" with the utmost attention to detail.