Le Champlain is the second ship of the Ponant Explorers-class cruise ship of cruise ships operated by Ponant. Each member of the class has been allocated the name of a famous French explorer, and Le Champlain is named after Samuel de Champlain, "The Father of New France".[1][2]
Built by VARD, Le Champlain had her hull constructed in VARD's Tulcea yard in Romania, where her keel was laid down on 20 April 2017.[3] A year and one week later, on 27 April 2018, she arrived at the builder's Søviknes facility in Ålesund, Norway, for final outfitting.[4] She was delivered to Ponant in Ålesund on 27 September 2018.[5]