Travel to the North Pole. Cross the Arctic Ocean. Explore the far northeast of Greenland...

PONANT has created a futuristic voyage with Le Commandant Charcot, the first electric hybrid icebreaker cruise ship powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Beginning in 2021, this newest member of the PONANT fleet will offer guests the chance to follow in the wake of the great polar explorers in sophisticated surroundings enhanced with luxury amenities never before seen at the very top or bottom of the globe.

Beyond cruises, these voyages are true polar odysseys.

A doctor by convention, an explorer by vocation and a man with a love for sailing, Jean-Baptiste Charcot was also a key player in early French polar expeditions. By naming the first luxury icebreaker after him, PONANT pays homage to this inspiring pioneer of the poles.

Like the explorer himself, the ship Le Commandant Charcot will be testing the limits of Arctic and Antarctic navigation to write a new chapter in our collective knowledge. This polar exploration ship will also be focusing on scientific research.

As well as offering passengers the adventure of a lifetime, PONANT aims to teach them just how vulnerable the poles are and convert them into ambassadors for these fragile regions.

Research, materials and cutting-edge technologies have been combined in the ship’s design to minimize our environmental impact.

This PONANT polar exploration ship will be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) and equipped with the latest in environmental protection technology.

Thanks to preliminary exploration, environmental impact studies and protocols developed by PONANT, Le Commandant Charcot itineraries are carefully chosen to be entirely safe for, and respectful of, the environment.

• Powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG)
• Energy Optimization System
  
• Latest generation electric batteries to reduce energy consumption
  
• Advanced Waste Water Treatment system
  
• Waste Heat Recovery System

The Icebreaker features optimized “Clean Ship” fittings that go beyond the current industry standard environmental regulations:

• Reduction of SOx , NOX , CO2 and particle emissions thanks to the use of LNG
• Zero emissions when in electric hybrid mode

Energy management

• Energy management optimization system that precisely measures consumption and efficiency of ship sailing methods
• Waste Heat Recovery System electric output optimized and consumption reduced through the use of latest generation electric batteries

Water treatment

• Advanced Waste Water Treatment system

Rather than an homogeneous mass, sea ice is a perpetually moving entity which grows, shrinks, fractures, contracts, folds, breaks and deforms in certain places to re-establish itself in others.

Despite appearances, icebreaker ships do not affect this constant movement. When sailing an icebreaker, it is important to aim for those areas of ice which are easiest to break up. Therefore, most icebreaker navigation involves travelling through ice leads (fractures) which are naturally open.

The broken ice then knits itself back together when the ship has passed through, in a process that can take between 15 minutes and a day depending on the weather conditions.

We have learnt to navigate alongside nature, rather than to fight it.

PONANT has developed a high-technology ship which even has its own ice routing software so we can visit places where others do not go. The latest and most reliable ice and weather information is used to forecast ice behaviour over a five-day period.

Le Commandant Charcot and its itineraries have been designed to minimize impact as much as possible and maximize learning by making the ship a mobile research observatory.

Like other PONANT ships, Le Commandant Charcot has been designed to offer passengers a welcoming, sophisticated ambience. Even at the extreme temperatures of the poles, a cruise on our polar exploration ship promises intimate comfort, discrete service, outstanding gastronomy and luxury amenities including a spa and a wellness area.

With just 135 cabins, including 68 suites with private terraces, this ship remains true to the PONANT philosophy of providing every guest with a relaxed ambience where they feel like they are travelling on a private yacht.

Exclusive itineraries - only available on an icebreaker

With Le Commandant Charcot in its fleet, PONANT will be the world’s only luxury cruise company to offer trips on seas and oceans which only icebreaker ships can navigate.

Your next expeditions

The North Pole - April/September 2021

• In the Wake of Commander Jean-Baptiste Charcot (April to May - 10 to 14 nights)
• The Ice Field: the Frozen Continent (April - 12 nights)
• The Origins of the Early French Polar Expeditions (April to May - 10 to 12 nights)
• The Last Predators of the Poles (May - 15 nights)
  
• On Top of the World (July to August - 13 to 17 nights)
  
• Around the Pole (July to August - 16 to 20 nights)
  
• The Northern Sea Route (August to September - 25 to 30 nights)
  
• Alaska and the Coast Mountains (September - 10 nights)

The South Pole - October/March 2021/2022

• The Pristine Antarctic Peninsula (October to November - 10 to 12 nights)
• The Distant Peninsula (November to March - 12 to 15 nights)
• The Snow Hill Emperor Penguin Colony (October to November - 14 nights)
• Discovering Charcot and Peter I Islands (December to February - 12 nights)
  
• In the Thick of the Weddell Sea (February to March - 15 nights)
  
• The Emperor Penguins of the Amundsen Sea (February to March - 20 nights)
  

TICKET RELEASE DATES April/September 2021 (Arctic) & October/March 2021-2022 (Antarctica) on Thursday April 11, 2019

If this sounds like the type of cruise experience you would enjoy please contact one of our Travel Advisors by clicking on the "Contact Us" button or call us on 604-736-7447