Le Ponant
French cruise ship
title: "Le Ponant" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1991-ships", "battles-and-conflicts-without-fatalities", "conflicts-in-2008", "france–somalia-relations", "maritime-incidents-in-2008", "naval-battles-involving-pirates", "operations-involving-special-forces-of-france", "piracy-in-somalia", "ships-attacked-and-captured-by-pirates", "ships-built-in-france", "ships-of-compagnie-du-ponant", "hijackings-in-2008"] description: "French cruise ship" topic_path: "history/military" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Ponant" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary French cruise ship ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox ship"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| display_title | Le Ponant |
| infobox_caption | Le Ponant |
| section1 | {{Infobox ship/image |
| image | LE PONANT 2365.jpg |
| image_caption | Le Ponant in Grenada in 2017 |
| section2 | {{Infobox ship/career |
| country | Wallis and Futuna |
| flag | |
| name | Le Ponant |
| operator | Compagnie du Ponant |
| registry | Wallis and Futuna Mata Utu |
| builder | SFCN, France |
| completed | 1991 |
| identification | |
| Call sign FGZZ<ref name | "dseas" |
| {{cite web | url |
| status | In service |
| section3 | {{Infobox ship/characteristics |
| header_caption | |
| type | Luxury yacht |
| tonnage | |
| length | 88 m |
| beam | 12 m |
| draft | 4 m |
| decks | 3 (passenger accessible) |
| sail_plan | Three masts |
| power | 2,200 hp motor and sails |
| propulsion | *1 propeller |
| *{{convert | 1500 |
| capacity | 67 passengers |
| crew | 30 |
| :: |
|display_title=Le Ponant |infobox_caption=Le Ponant |section1={{Infobox ship/image |image=LE PONANT 2365.jpg |image_caption=Le Ponant in Grenada in 2017
|section2={{Infobox ship/career |hide_header= |country= Wallis and Futuna |flag= |name=Le Ponant |operator=Compagnie du Ponant |registry= Wallis and Futuna Mata Utu |route= |ordered= |builder=SFCN, France |original_cost= |yard_number= |way_number= |laid_down= |launched= |completed=1991 |christened= |acquired= |maiden_voyage= |in_service= |out_of_service= |identification= MMSI number 227186000 Call sign FGZZ : Current position, data, and photos of Le Ponant |fate= |status=In service |notes=
|section3={{Infobox ship/characteristics |hide_header= |header_caption= |type=Luxury yacht |tonnage= |displacement= |length=88 m |beam=12 m |height= |draft=4 m |depth= |decks=3 (passenger accessible) |deck_clearance= |ramps= |ice_class= |sail_plan=Three masts |power=2,200 hp motor and sails |propulsion=*1 propeller
- 1500 m2 sail area |capacity=67 passengers |crew=30 |notes= Le Ponant is a three-masted, commercially operated French luxury yacht operated by Compagnie du Ponant. The ship has capacity for up to 32 passengers in 16 cabins. It was built 1991 by the Societe Francaise de Construction Navales (SFCN) shipyard in Villeneuve-la-Garenne, France. In 2008, the ship was attacked by Somali pirates and was only released after a military intervention. In 2022, the yacht was refitted for increased environmental protection to a design by Jean-Philippe Nuel Studio.
Description
On board, Le Ponant has one restaurant. Le Diamant panoramic restaurant offers buffet breakfast and dinner as well as fine gastronomic cuisine.
Le Ponant was entirely refitted and refurbished in 2022. Having been totally renovated with a design by the Jean-Philippe Nuel Studio, the end result was 16 staterooms for a maximum of 32 guests. Le Ponant, which will navigate under sail as often as possible, includes other improvements such as a dockside connection, an innovative system of SCR filters to eliminate fine particles and reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 90%, waste sorting and a state-of-the-art water treatment system – all to help protect the environment.
History
2008 Somali pirate attack
On 4 April 2008, Le Ponant was seized by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden while en route from the Seychelles to the Mediterranean. The ship carried no passengers at the time of its capture, but all 30 crewmembers were taken hostage; 22 French, 6 Filipino, 1 Cameroonian and 1 Ukrainian. French forces, including the aviso Commandant Bouan, and a Canadian CH-124 helicopter from were monitoring the yacht after its seizure. The hostages were released without incident on 12 April.
Following the release, French helicopters from the Djibouti military base tracked the pirates to the village of Jariban. French commando marine and GIGN operating from the frigate and the cruiser moved in when the pirates attempted to flee in the desert. A sniper disabled the get-away vehicle, and the commandos were able to capture six men. Local officials claimed that three people died in the raid, with a further eight wounded, but France denied this. Troops also recovered some of the ransom money paid by the owner of the yacht for the release of its crew. The six captured pirates were flown to Paris, where they faced trial in 2012.
SolidSail prototype testing
Between October 2018 and 2019, Le Ponant served as the testing platform for Chantiers de l'Atlantique's SolidSail rigid sail technology. On 25 October 2018, during a technical stop in Marseille, the vessel's forward mast was equipped with a half-scale SolidSail prototype measuring over 300 m² (3,200 sq ft). The rigid sail, constructed from composite panels of fibreglass, carbon, and epoxy resin framed by carbon slats, was tested during transatlantic crossings to Cape Verde and Cuba under various operational conditions. According to Ponant CEO Jean-Emmanuel Sauvée, the company was immediately interested in collaborating with Chantiers de l'Atlantique, viewing sail propulsion as "without a doubt an energy of the future" and the trials as essential to validating the technology's potential for significant environmental and economic benefits. The prototype was removed during the vessel's major refurbishment between November 2019 and April 2020 at San Giorgio del Porto shipyard in Genoa, Italy, with the yacht returning to service in 2022 with traditional canvas sails and enhanced environmental features including a selective catalytic reduction filter reducing nitrogen oxide emissions by up to 90%.
Footnotes
References
References
- Ward, Douglas. (2008). "Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships". Berlitz.
- "Deutz-Powered Cruise Sailing Ship Launched At SFCN Shipyard". New Wave Media.
- (21 March 2022). "Le Ponant to Sail New Seychelles Program". Cruise Industry News.
- Chollier, Guillaume. (14 January 2022). "Jean-David Lemaire, Captain of Le Ponant: "Le Ponant is an invitation to experience privileged and authentic moments"".
- Marcus, Tallis Boerne. (24 March 2022). "Le Ponant Is Returning To The Stunning Seychelles". cruisepassenger.com.au.
- (4 April 2008). "Somali pirates seize French yacht". [[BBC News]].
- (5 April 2008). "France is tracking hijacked yacht". [[BBC News]].
- (12 April 2008). "France raid ship after crew freed". [[BBC News]].
- (18 April 2008). "France charges Somali 'pirates'". [[BBC News]].
- (22 May 2012). "Six Somali pirates on trial in Paris over capture of Le Ponant crew".
- (20 November 2018). "Le Ponant teste la voile nazairienne Solid Sail".
- (20 November 2018). "Ponant Tests Solid Sail Prototype".
- (3 November 2018). "Des voiles rigides testées sur le Ponant".
- (20 November 2018). "Ponant Starts Testing Solid Sail System on Its Vessel".
- "Le Ponant deck plan".
- (11 August 2022). "Ponant Unveils Refurbished Le Ponant Sailing Ship".
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