After 13 years in service with Ponant, Le Levant was purchased by Paul Gauguin Cruises in 2012 and became Tere Moana.

[6] On April 4, 2008, Le Ponant was seized by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden while en route from the Seychelles to the Mediterranean.

French commando marine and GIGN operating from the frigate Jean Bart and the Jeanne d'Arc moved in when the pirates attempted to flee in the desert.

[22] A news report on 3 August 2020 stated that the COVID-19 virus had been detected on the MS Paul Gauguin while it was in Papeete, Tahiti; passengers were required to stay in their cabins.

The ship had been modified to use a "cleaner" fuel: LS MGO – Low-Sulphur Marine Gas Oil and the company planned "to offset 150 percent of its carbon emissions".

This high polar exploration ship is equipped with a hybrid propulsion system which uses both electricity and liquefied natural gas (LNG).

[25] Delivered in August 2021[26] Le Commandant Charcot has a similar design to the PONANT Explorer series, though she is larger and more powerful.

Due to the manoeuvrability of the Azipod systems, she can operate both in ahead direction and sternfirst, depending on the prevailing ice conditions.

On March 29, 2021, following the announcement of François-Henri Pinault, Managing Partner of Artémis, Hervé Gastinel took over after Jean-Emmanuel Sauvée as the company's CEO.