2023-05-24 05:34:20
The luxury French cruise line is picking up its pace after the Covid years.
Hundred. Such is the dizzying number of cruises made to date by the most loyal customer of the Ponant company. The budget, not communicated, must also be excessive. Because it costs an average of 7,000 euros per trip, and up to 26,000 to 70,000 euros for a sixteen-day cruise in Antarctica on the “Commandant Charcot” icebreaker. At these prices, it’s “all inclusive”, including wine and activities. Something to delight Hervé Gastinel, the CEO, on board since 2021, of the Ponant company, where he succeeded the historic founder, Jean-Emmanuel Sauvée.
This Nazairian of origin, amateur yachtsman, overqualified (Essec, Sciences po, Éna), former big boss of the Beneteau shipyards in Vendée, has had a lot to do since his arrival. Starting with restoring the taste for cruises after two years of pandemic and traumatic episodes such as that of the “Diamond Princess”: 3,711 passengers and crew members stranded for weeks in Japan in 2020. And dusting off the image of cruising senior citizens, with bingo evenings and tea dances.
“We have a very eclectic clientele. Our passengers are, on average, around 55 years old. We are also welcoming more and more families and people in their thirties”, continues Hervé Gastinel, who is keen to stand out from the global cruise offer: American super-liners accommodating 6,000 to 8,000 passengers, veritable floating hotels with casinos, “infinity pools”, even go-kart or zip-line tracks. On average, the group’s boats have 120 to 150 cabins, a more human size.
All captains are French
Most cruises are themed: art and culture, history and geopolitics, nature or holistic and well-being (meditation and yoga, etc.). With prestigious speakers such as Dominique de Villepin, Alexandra Cousteau, the granddaughter of the man in the red cap, the lyrical artist Béatrice Uria-Monzon or starred chefs. We are here at the tip of the needle (the ultra high-end) of cruising with luxury services, both in the plate and in terms of hospitality. The clientele comes from Europe (40%) and the United States (40%).
Founded in Nantes in 1988 by Jean-Emmanuel Sauvée, Philippe Videau and a dozen merchant navy officers, the Compagnie des Îles du Ponant was distinguished by its desire to sail under the French flag. If the crews are very international, all the captains remain French. Long owned by the shipowner CMA-CGM, which transferred its head office to Marseille, the Ponant company has belonged since 2015 to Artémis, the holding company of the Pinault group. It currently has thirteen boats including a sailboat (the above-named “Ponant”). In addition to journeys in the Mediterranean, it also offers odysseys that make you dream, such as wanderings in Polynesia aboard the “Paul-Gauguin”. The boats remain at sea around three hundred days a year, the rest being devoted to maintenance and “positioning”, such as the annual transhumance of “Commandant Charcot” from the North Pole to the South Pole.
The group is now working on its 2025 catalog
Hervé Gastinel’s big challenge: to improve the carbon footprint of his fleet, which is much less eco-harmful than the American super-liners but which still has progress to make. “Cruising is fun but pollutes”, often scoff at environmental associations. In addition to taking scientists “pro bono” on board in its polar expeditions, Ponant is greening up on all levels. “We have eliminated 100% of disposable plastics on board. And let’s aim to reduce our CO2 emissions by 30% compared to 2019 by 2025,” insists Hervé Gastinel. Heavy fuel oil is banned in favor of marine gas oil with a sulfur content of less than 0.05% at the best world standard.
If the group is now working on its 2025 catalog, it now believes that it is sailing wherever safety conditions are met with boats between 70% and 80% full: from New Zealand to Spitsbergen. For those who are afraid of the prospect of long weeks at sea, there is still the possibility of staying on one of the group’s boats during a major event such as the Olympic Games, the Football World Cups or, recently, the Grand Prix. of Monaco F1.
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