Ship reference
Le Ponant
Ship specifications and sources.
Quick facts
- Cruise line
- PONANT Explorations
- Entered service
- 1991
- Status
- In service
About us Le Ponant
Le Ponant is the three-masted sailing vessel from which the operator takes its name. The company's current historical account begins its story in 1991 and identifies a major renovation in 2021. That original service history is separate from the much later introduction of the catamaran Spirit of Ponant. Similar names do not identify the same hull.
The current individual page gives a maximum of 32 guests, sixteen staterooms and suites, and 33 crew members. These figures describe today's much smaller accommodation offering. Older references to 64 passengers are historical inventory and should not be copied into a current comparison. The explicitly labelled maximum is retained without deriving a double-occupancy figure.
Accommodation includes rooms with portholes or windows and other categories with outside areas. A sailing-yacht label does not mean every room has a balcony. Compare the exact category, position and layout before booking. The deck drawing can explain where a room sits relative to shared spaces, but the reserved description remains the reference for its features.
The operator describes a combination of sails, batteries and diesel engines. Sailing capability is not a promise that the yacht uses wind alone throughout every itinerary. Its actual route and conditions shape the voyage. The marina and water-based activities offer another distinction from a larger ocean ship, with availability tied to the particular departure and local arrangements.
Current individual insurance records match IMO 8914219 with gross tonnage of 1491 and registry in Mata Utu. The operator's dimensions are rounded to 88 metres long and 12 metres wide. These sources provide a clearer current basis than an older fleet table or an unrelated yacht with a similar name.
For practical planning, choose the actual voyage and accommodation together. A smaller group can change the atmosphere aboard without guaranteeing every requested anchorage or activity. Consider time under way, opportunities ashore and how you prefer to use the shared outdoor areas. Le Ponant's three-masted design is a specific travel setting, distinct from both the operator's motor expedition ships and its private catamarans.
Specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Year built | — |
| Entered service | 1991 |
| Gross tonnage (GT) | 1,491 |
| Guests at double occupancy | — |
| Maximum guests | 32 |
| Crew | 33 |
| Cabins | 16 |
| Decks (total) | — |
| Length (m) | 88 |
| Beam (m) | 12 |
| Last verified refurbishment year | 2021 |
| Maximum speed (knots) | — |
| IMO | 8914219 |
| Shipyard | — |
| Flag | France |
| Propulsion / fuel description | Sails with battery and diesel-engine support |
A dash means no independently verified value is available. Guest counts at double occupancy and maximum capacity are different measures. GT measures enclosed volume, not weight.
Last checked:
Sources
- Ponant — currentindividualshipprogramme — Accessed
LePonant32maximum16rooms33crew;Spirit12maximum6rooms4crew.
- SteamshipMutual — currentindividual2026/27entry — Accessed
MatchedIMO8914219/1063516; GT1491/135;MataUtuFrenchregistry.
- Ponant — currentindividualhistory — Accessed
Historybegins1991;explicit2021renovation;88m12mrounded. Secondary2022notadopted.
- Ponant — individualpublishedtechnicalleaflet — Accessed
PublisherPONANT: sailsbatteriesdiesel, notfullywindpoweredclaim.
- Frenchgovernment — datedmerchantfleetconstructiontable — Accessed
1990constructionvs1991deliveryhistory noted; old1189GTnotcurrent1491insurance.