Dubrovnik – the first port of call at the inaugural voyage of ship Le Soléal

02/07/2013

Newly built ship of the company Compagnie du Ponant at its first voyage
PRESS RELEASE

(Dubrovnik, 2nd July 2013) Late Tuesday afternoon (6:30 p.m.), a new ship of the French cruise company Compagnie du Ponant, Le Soléal, will sail into Dubrovnik. The ship will start its first voyage, under captain Etienne Garciae, from the Fincantieri shipyard and Dubrovnik will be its first port of call at this inaugural voyage.
A ceremony will be organized on the terrace of the Art Gallery, on the occasion of this inaugural sailing, in the presence of Mr. Jean-Emmanuel Sauvéea (Compagnie du Ponant, CEO), ship captain and their guests and passengers. The ship will be docked between Lokrum and Belvedere and will depart immediately after the ceremony, leaving the Adriatic and returning in 2014 with 14 announced calls. Total of 91 calls have been announced in all Croatian ports from the middle of May to the end of September. 
Fireworks are scheduled at 11:45 p.m. as part of the announced ceremony. It will last 6 minutes and we would like to use this opportunity to inform the public thereof. 
NOTE: The event is close to the media and public
Compagnie du Ponant is a French cruise company founded in 1988 by Jean-Emmanuel Sauvée, Philippe Videau and other officers of the French Merchant Navy. The company was initially named Compagnie des iles du Ponant, which was later shortened to Compagnie du Ponant. Its first registered office was in Nantes and in 2006 they moved to Marseilles, after the company was acquired by CMA CGM. In 2012, CMA CGM sold the company to Bridgepoint Capital. The fleet includes six ships: Le Levant, Le Ponant, Le Diamant, Le Boreal, L'Austral and the newest one, Le Soléal.
They have been present in Croatia since 2002. This year, L'Austral has regular calls in Dubrovnik and other parts of Croatia. 
Ship Le Soléal – technical data and information:
  • newly built in 2013
  • length – 142.00 m
  • width – 18.00 m
  • draft - 4,70 m
  • sailing speed - 14 nodes
  • capacity – up to 264 pax
  • crew - 140 pax
  • shipyard – Fincantieri / Ancona / Italy