by Kevin Griffin of The Cruise People writing for cybercruises.com
Last week it was announced that Paul Gauguin Cruises would double its fleet, and increase its berth capacity by a little over a quarter, by purchasing Compagnie du Ponant’s Le Levant. To be renamed Moana, the 90-berth ship will introduce new itineraries in the Mediterranean, Caribbean and Latin America. While the 332-berth Paul Gauguin will remain in Tahiti, the Moana will widen the company’s cruise offerings.
Le Levant was built in 1999 and has cruised in many areas. Including the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, the Arctic, the Great Lakes, the Caribbean and the Amazon, among others. She will undergo a major refit in November 2012 and enter service for Paul Gauguin Cruises in December.
Seattle-based Paul Gauguin Cruises is part of Pacific Beachcomber, which also owns Intercontinental hotels on Tahiti, Moorea and Bora Bora and Maitai resorts on Bora Bora, Rangiroa and Huahine, and is opening The Brando, a new resort on Tetiaroa.
The Cruise People, Ltd. (Canada) 
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