''Le Champlain'' is the second ship of the of

cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports-of-call, where passengers may go on tours known as ...

s operated by Ponant. Each member of the class has been allocated the name of a famous French explorer, and ''Le Champlain'' is named after Samuel de Champlain, "The Father of

New France New France (french: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spa ...

". Built by

VARD Fincantieri S.p.A. () is an Italian shipbuilding company based in Trieste, Italy. Already the largest shipbuilder in Europe, after the acquisition of Vard in 2013, Fincantieri group doubled in size to become the fourth largest in the world (2014 ...

, ''Le Champlain'' had her hull constructed in VARD's

Tulcea Tulcea (; also known by other alternative names) is a city in Northern Dobruja, Romania. It is the administrative center of Tulcea County, and had a population of 73,707 . One village, Tudor Vladimirescu, is administered by the city. Names The ...

yard in Romania, where her keel was laid down on 20 April 2017. A year and one week later, on 27 April 2018, she arrived at the builder's Søviknes facility in

Ålesund Ålesund () sometimes spelled Aalesund in English, is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal County, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sunnmøre and the centre of the Ålesund Region. The town of Ålesund is the administrativ ...

, Norway, for final outfitting. She was delivered to Ponant in Ålesund on 27 September 2018. On 25 October 2018, ''Le Champlain'' departed from

Honfleur Honfleur () is a commune in the Calvados department in northwestern France. It is located on the southern bank of the estuary of the Seine across from le Havre and very close to the exit of the Pont de Normandie. The people that inhabit Honf ...

, France on her maiden voyage to Lisbon, Portugal.

References

External links

Compagnie du Ponant official site page about the ship
2018 ships Ships built in Norway Ships built in Romania Ships of Compagnie du Ponant {{Cruise-ship-stub