Paul Gauguin Cruises Acquires Second Ship, Plans Global Deployment

sources: Travel Pulse USA Today

Paul Gauguin Cruises, operator of the Tahiti-based Paul Gauguin ship, has acquired a second ship that will begin sailing under the Paul Gauguin Cruises banner in December 2012. This ship will undergo a renovation in November 2012 and then will be christened Moana. The vessel will have 45 staterooms for a total capacity of 90 guests. The company did not reveal further details about the ship, but other sources say it is the former Ponant vessel, the 1991-built Le Levant.

Full 2013 deployment details for Moana will be announced in early 2012, but the company plans to operate it in the Mediterranean in the summer and the Caribbean and Latin America in the winter.

Paul Gauguin Cruises is owned by Pacific Beachcomber, French Polynesia's largest luxury hotel operator.

"We are monumentally proud to add a second ship to our Pacific Beachcomber portfolio and Paul Gauguin Cruises family," Paul Gauguin Cruises president Diane Moore says in a statement. "This is an incredibly huge branding achievement for the growth of our cruise line and I look forward to welcoming fans of The Gauguin on board our latest addition."