Ponant Buys Out Luxury Cruise Line

Luxury expedition cruise line Ponant has announced plans to acquire Paul Gauguin Cruises, the small-ship line known for sailing to exotic ports in the South Pacific.

Like Ponant, Paul Gauguin combines unique itineraries with fine dining and luxury hotel services on board. Following the acquisition, both brands will be maintained and the lines will keep their current management. Diane Moore will continue as CEO of Paul Gauguin Cruises with her team in Washington, and Navin Sawhney will remain as CEO Americas of Ponant in New York.

“We are pleased to welcome Paul Gauguin Cruises to our Ponant family,” noted Jean-Emmanuel Sauvée, Founder and President of Ponant. “Our guests can now select from a wider range of iconic destinations and become enriched by cultural and expedition cruises of their choice, that literally travel to the ends of the earth from the most remote ports to more perennial favorites, on our combined fleet of small ships. We share the same core values. The synergy between our operations makes this the perfect collaboration while preserving the unique DNA of both brand experiences.”

Added Navin Sawhney, “PONANT is proud to be at the forefront of small ship exploration. We are expanding our PONANT fleet to 14 ships by 2021. Now, through PAUL GAUGUIN and its expertise, we will be able to offer our clients and partners yet another bucket list destination visiting the exotic islands of Tahiti, French Polynesia and the South Pacific.”

Ponant was founded in 1988 by Jean Emmanuel Sauvée and a dozen officers from the French Merchant Navy. Today, the expedition line operates nine ships around the world, including in the globe’s polar regions. Paul Gauguin Cruises currently operates one ship, the 5+ star, 332-guest ms Paul Gauguin in Tahiti, French Polynesia, and the South Pacific.