The Austral is a cruise ship operated by the French cruise company Compagnie du Ponant. It is the sister ship of Le Boréal and Le Soléal, being the same weight, length and width, as well as having 132 cabins and suites for 264 passengers and 140 crew members as the other two ships. The Austral was built in 2010 at Fincantieri's Ancona shipyard in Ancona, Italy. The Austral entered service on April 20, 2011. On February 9, 2017, L'Austral collided with a rocky bank near Milford Sound, New Zealand.