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Paul Gauguin at Bora Bora
History
The Bahamas
NameLe Paul Gauguin
OwnerPaul Gauguin Shipping Limited
OperatorPonant Cruises
Port of registry France
BuilderChantiers de l'Atlantique
Launched25 April 1997
Completed1997
Identification
StatusIn service
General characteristics
Tonnage19,200 GT
Length504 ft (154 m)
Beam71 ft (22 m)
Draft16.9 ft (5.2 m)
Decks7 passenger decks
Speed18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Capacity332
Crew215

MS Paul Gauguin is a cruise ship that was completed in 1997. It primarily operates in the South Pacific. Paul Gauguin Cruises is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the ship did not sail for some time but resumed operations on 18 July 2020 for local residents and on 29 July for international guests, with reduced occupancy.[1]

A news report on 3 August 2020 stated that COVID-19 virus had been detected on the ship while it was in Papeete, Tahiti; passengers were required to stay in their cabins. As of that date, the ship was operated by the Ponant Company under the branding Paul Gauguin Cruises,[2] The capacity was stated to be 318 guests plus a crew of 216. The ship had been modified to use a "cleaner" fuel — low-sulphur marine gas oil (LS-MGO) — and the company planned "to offset 150 percent of its carbon emissions". The company's web site discussed renovations that had been completed.[3]

Description

Paul Gauguin is 504 feet (154 m) long with a beam of 72 feet (22 m) and a draft of 17.1 feet (5.2 m). The cruise ship has a gross tonnage (GT) 19,200 and is powered by a diesel-electric system giving the vessel a maximum speed of 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph). The ship has seven passenger decks and capacity for 318 guests. Paul Gauguin has a crew of 216. In 2019, it was announced that the vessel would be renovated to use low-sulphur marine gas oil instead of heavy marine fuel.[3]

Career

The vessel was constructed by Chantiers de l'Atlantique in St. Nazaire, France. The cruise ship was launched on 25 April 1997 and completed and delivered on 1 December 1997 to Services et Transports Tahiti of Mata-Utu, French Polynesia.[4] The ship was christened at Port Everglades, Florida on 18 December and sailed for the Pacific the following day.[5]

Originally registered in France, the ship's registry was changed to [[[the Bahamas]] until July 2020, when new owner Ponant re-registered the ship in Wallis & Futuna thus returning the ship to sail under the flag of France.[6]

Coronavirus pandemic

Further information: COVID-19 pandemic on cruise ships

On 1 August 2020, Polynésie la 1ère reported that a case of SARS-CoV-2 had been found aboard Paul Gauguin.[7] The passengers were told about the case that same day, and the ship immediately turned around, skipping its next port of call in Rangiroa, and headed back toward Papeete.[7][8] All the passengers were requested to stay in their cabins while food was brought to them.[8]

The ship had left Tahiti on 30 July, and had made a stopover in Bora Bora before Compagnie du Ponant was aware of the presence of an asymptomatic case of the virus in a 22-year-old female passenger.[a][11][2] During the stopover, both the passengers and the crew had been able to disembark and interact with the locals of Bora Bora for two days.[8]

Once Paul Gauguin arrived back in Papeete on the morning of 2 August, all 148 passengers and 192 crew members were placed in confinement.[11][9]

Notes

  1. ^ The Guardian reported that the case was found in a crew member, but many other sources reported that it was found in a female passenger.[2][8][9][10] Seatrade Cruise News reported that the passenger was tested aboard the ship, following the rule that tourists must be tested within four days after arrival in French Polynesia.[9]

References

  1. ^ "COVID-19 case on Paul Gauguin in French Polynesia". Sea Trade. 2 August 2020. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "Two cruise ships hit by coronavirus weeks after industry restarts". The Guardian. 3 August 2020. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  3. ^ a b "m/s Paul Gauguin Renovations". Paul Gauguin Cruises. 27 February 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  4. ^ "Paul Gauguin (9111319)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  5. ^ "M/S Paul Gauguin". faktaomfartyg.se. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  6. ^ "Le Paul Gauguin passe sous pavillon français". Tahiti Infos (in French). 15 July 2020. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Un cas positif de Covid a été détecté sur le paquebot de croisière le Paul Gauguin". Polynésie la 1ère (in French). 1 August 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  8. ^ a b c d "300 people confined on cruise ship in Polynesia after Covid-19 case confirmed". rfi.fr. 3 August 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  9. ^ a b c "Paul Gauguin cruise cut short by COVID-19 case, wider test results awaited". Seatrade Cruise News. 3 August 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  10. ^ "Coronavirus en Polynésie : 340 personnes confinées à bord d'un bateau de croisière après la détection d'un cas positif". 20minutes.fr (in French). 3 August 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  11. ^ a b "Polynésie française : un cas de coronavirus détecté sur un bateau de croisière, 340 personnes confinées à bord". Sud Ouest (in French). 3 August 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.

Bibliography

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to IMO 9111319.
Ships of the Ponant fleet
Ships of the Regent Seven Seas Cruises fleet
Paul Gauguin
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