Le Boreal

The cruise ship Le Boreal in Ísafjörður in 2011.
History
France
Name: Le Boreal
Owner: Compagnie du Ponant[1]
Operator: Compagnie du Ponant
Port of registry: Mata-Utu (Wallis & Futuna Islands),  France
Builder: Fincantieri
Completed: 2010
Identification:
Status: in active service, as of 2017
General characteristics
Tonnage: 10,944 GT[1]
Length: 142.1 m (466 ft)[1]
Beam: 18 m (59 ft)[1]
Draught: 4.8 m (16 ft)[1]
Decks: 6 (guest decks)
Capacity: 264 passengers
Crew: 136

Le Boreal is a cruise ship owned and operated by the French cruise line company Compagnie du Ponant.

History

Built in 2010, she is a sister vessel of L'Austral, Le Lyrial and Le Soléal. The vessel is 126 metres in length, has 132 cabins and suites for 264 passengers and 140 crew members. Le Boreal was put into service on 6 May 2010.

She won the award for "Best Newcomer of the Year – GOLD" from the European Cruiser Association (EUCRAS).[2]

Between 25 February and 6 March 2018, video journalist and podcaster Brady Haran conducted an expedition to Antarctica aboard this vessel. [3]

Incidents and accidents

2015 engine room fire

On 18 November 2015 Le Boreal suffered a major engine room fire which caused the loss of all power and left her drifting. The captain ordered the ship, with 347 passengers and crew, to be abandoned early in the morning. A distress call was issued just after 2 a.m. while it was near Cape Dolphin, the northerly point of East Falkland, Falkland Islands. The news agency reported that 90 of the ship's 347 passengers and crew were air-lifted to safety from life rafts. The sister ship L'Austral responded to the distress call and took on some passengers.

Working closely with the Falkland Islands Government, British Forces enacted a major search and rescue plan. Two Sea King Royal Air Force Search and Rescue helicopters were scrambled, along with two other support helicopters, a C-130 Hercules and a Voyager aircraft for command and control. The Royal Navy patrol vessel HMS Clyde was dispatched to the scene, as were two Dutch tugs which support British Forces in the Falkland Islands. Subsequently, all passengers and crew from Le Boreal were accounted for and being looked after on the Falkland Islands. The vessel was later reported in a stable condition and the tugs were assisting to bring her alongside in the Falkland Islands for a detailed assessment of her condition.[4][5][6] In March 2016, Ponant confirmed that Le Boreal would resume service in May.[7] The investigators' report was released in July 2016, and attributed the fire to a ship's officer's misidentification of a clogged fuel filter; the report noted that the officer did not have a mechanic's rating, and Ponant subsequently changed several work rules in response to the report.[8]

In February 2016, a fictitious Arctic accident featuring a "luxury yacht" called Le Boreal was added to the video game Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege as part of a new mission called Operation Black Ice.[9]

Facilities

Le Boreal features one main dining room and one grill restaurant. The vessel also has the Le Club lounge for entertainment, a theatre for lectures and film screenings, a casino, a library and an internet lounge. She also has a swimming pool, spa and fitness centre. The ship is also equipped with Zodiac craft for landing.[10]

Mighty Ships

Le Boreal was featured in episode three of the fifth season of the TV series Mighty Ships. The ship was shown taking tourists to South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula.

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "VeriStarInfo 2013 / LE BOREAL 2013". Veristar.com. Retrieved 2013-05-23.
  2. ↑ "Le Boréal: Small ship cruising, French-style". All Things Cruise. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  3. ↑ "Antarctica Intro". Brady Haran. Retrieved 2018-03-25.
  4. ↑ "Engine Room Fire Forces Boreal Evacuation - Cruise Industry News | Cruise News". Cruise Industry News. 2015-11-19. Retrieved 2016-01-17.
  5. ↑ "Fire on Ponant Cruise Ship L'Boreal Causes Evacuation - Ponant". Cruise Critic. 2015-11-18. Retrieved 2016-01-17.
  6. ↑ "British Forces go to assistance of stricken cruise liner in the Falklands - News stories". GOV.UK. 2015-11-19. Retrieved 2016-01-17.
  7. ↑ "Ponant Cruise Ship Le Boreal to Resume Sailing in May". Cruise Critic. 2016-03-10. Retrieved 2016-03-23.
  8. ↑ Tom Stieghorst, "Report identifies cause of Le Boreal cruise ship fire", USA Today, July 21, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Canadian Arctic Ship Disaster Featured in Game". The Maritime Executive. 2016-02-05. Retrieved 2016-03-24.
  10. ↑ "Le Boreal Cruise Ship Description and Cruises". Choosing Cruising. Retrieved 23 December 2013.

Bibliography

  • Saunders, Aaron (2013). Giants of the Seas: The Ships that Transformed Modern Cruising. Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 9781848321724.
  • Smith, Peter C. (2014). Cruise Ships - The Small Scale Fleet: A Visual Showcase. Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK: Pen & Sword Maritime. ISBN 9781781592816.
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