Ponant has taken delivery of Le Commandant Charcot, a hybrid electric polar exploration ship powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) and the 13th ship to join the French cruise company's fleet. The occasion was marked by a flag exchange ceremony at the VARD shipyard, a subsidiary of Fincantieri, in Norway. Built in partnership with Stirling Design International, Aker Arctic and VARD, it has taken Ponant six years to bring the vessel to this point.
Le Commandant Charcot is a Polar Class PC2 ship with only 123 staterooms, accommodating up to 245 guests. Its design includes all the latest "green" technologies, such as 100 percent waste sorted on board and waste treatment. The ship will be fitted with facilities and equipment for research, providing the scientific world with a platform for observation, research and analysis to study water, air, ice and biodiversity in extreme polar regions.
For guests, there will be a plethora of activities on offer, including citizen science, lectures by experts, kayaking, hovercraft, hiking, ice fishing and more.
Le Commandant Charcot will be sailing in the world’s most remote regions: the Geographic North Pole, Northeast Greenland’s National Park, circumnavigation of the Svalbard archipelago, the Bellingshausen Sea, Charcot and Pierre I Islands, Weddell Sea and the Larsen Ice Shelf.
Ponant in collaboration with Smithsonian Journeys recently announced its new winter 2022 itineraries exploring Antarctica, Costa Rica and Panama, the Caribbean, and Japan. The sailings will be accompanied by a variety of experts, ranging from geologists and scientists to astrophysicists and historians, and will offer experiences that dive deeper into a destination’s culture, history, cuisine, language, environment and wildlife.
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