What is the Le Ponant cruise ship and when does it visit Gibraltar?
Short answer
Le Ponant is a three-masted sailing yacht built in France in 1991 and operated by Ponant, carrying 32 guests in 16 cabins. Its upcoming visits to Gibraltar, with times and expected passengers, are listed on this page.
Upcoming visits to Gibraltar
Saturday 16 October 2027, in port 12:00–18:00, about 67 passengers expected
Also in port: Mein Schiff 6. Combined: about 2,567 passengers where known.
Plan your shore day in Gibraltar
From the Port of Gibraltar schedule, last checked 6 November 2026.
Detailed answer
Le Ponant was built by the SFCN yard at Villeneuve-la-Garenne in France and completed in 1991. It is 88 metres long, with three masts, 16 cabins for 32 guests and a crew of about 30. In April 2008 the yacht was seized by pirates in the Gulf of Aden while sailing without passengers from the Seychelles to the Mediterranean, and its 30 crew were released after eight days. Between 2018 and 2019 it tested a half-scale rigid sail prototype on its forward mast. It was refurbished in Genoa in 2019 and 2020 and fully refitted in 2022 to a design by Jean-Philippe Nuel Studio, with a filter that cuts nitrogen oxide emissions by up to 90 per cent. The port listing expects about 67 passengers, mainly French, which is more than the 32 guests given for the yacht since its refit.
How busy will town be?
The upcoming visits listed on this page show the passengers expected on each call and any other ships in port the same day. Town is busiest when several ships are in at once or a large ship arrives at a weekend. A ship carrying a few hundred passengers makes little difference on its own.
Can you sail on it from nearby?
No sailing covering the call has been found. Le Ponant spends late summer 2027 on seven-night round trips from Villefranche-sur-Mer, the last leaving on Tuesday 21 September 2027, and then moves to Cape Verde for seven-night round trips from Mindelo starting on Tuesday 26 October 2027. The Gibraltar call on Saturday 16 October 2027 falls between the two, and no published Le Ponant sailing starting or ending at Malaga, Cadiz, Lisbon or Barcelona was found.