Philippe Videau, one of the founders of French cruise operator Compagnie du Ponant, is launching a new expedition cruise venture with a ship acquired from Silversea Cruises.
Exploris, a Nantes-registered company formed by Videau, has bought the 6,200-gt expedition cruise ship Silver Explorer (built 1989) for an undisclosed sum from the Royal Caribbean luxury cruise subsidiary, according to widespread reports in French media.
The fact the Exploris was said to be five years in the making suggests it was not just a case of Videau opportunistically jumping back in the cruise game.
Silversea will charter the ice-classed Silver Explorer back from its new owner until late 2023 so that it can complete its scheduled cruises.
Cruise industry observers described the charter as a good move as it will provide Exploris with a guaranteed income during its initial start-up phase.
Silversea used the Silver Explorer to launch its luxury expedition cruise arm in 2007. The company, then still owned by the Lefebvre family, bought the ship from the liquidators of Society Expeditions.
Since being acquired by Royal Caribbean in 2018, Silversea has been gradually phasing out its original trio of smaller expedition cruise ships. They have been replaced by a pair of Silversea's conventional cruise ships that were extensively upgraded for polar cruising, along with a newbuilding designed specifically to operate in the Galapagos archipelago.
First to leave was the chartered 5,200-gt Silver Discoverer (built 1989), which was handed back to owner SunStone Ships in August 2019 and subsequently sold to French river cruise specialist CroisiEurope.
In January 2021, the company sold the 4,200-gt, 100-passenger Silver Galapagos (built 1990) to an entity called Mantra Sea Hermes, which TradeWinds understands plans to convert into a superyacht.
Several older expedition cruise ships have changed hands during the pandemic period, although so far none have been sold for recycling despite a raft of newbuildings having been delivered during the same period.
Cruise industry sources say the niche market has weathered the pandemic better than the mainstream cruise market. Bookings are said to be strong, and operators have not had to resort to discounting to fill their ships.
Videau was one of several partners who launched Ponant in 1988. The company was sold to CMA CGM in 2006, who in turn sold it to private equity interests several years later.
TradeWinds was unable to reach Videau for comment on his new cruise venture, while Silversea could not be contacted due to a public holiday in the US on Monday.
