Exploring the most remote and inaccessible regions of our planet involves a considerable amount of responsibility: the responsibility of limiting the traces we leave behind. More than just a commitment, respecting the ecosystems is the fundamental condition for these unprecedented voyages in these regions to take place.
Le Commandant Charcot is paving the way in this respect. It is the first deep polar exploration cruise ship to be equipped with a hybrid liquefied natural gas (currently the cleanest energy available) propulsion system and a bank of high-capacity batteries.
This new propulsion system is also combined with the use of the latest available green technologies, resulting in an all-round approach designed with a single aim in mind: to minimise the impact of your polar odyssey on the planet and make a positive contribution to the peoples and lands visited and encountered.
Cruise ID: 34587
A Pioneering Ship
Designed for sailing in the planet's most inaccessible regions and helmed by experienced captains with expertise in navigating through ice, Le Commandant Charcot has already demonstrated its ability to go further and beyond; she goes where others do not venture.
The first ship in the world to reach the southernmost navigable latitude, in the Ross Sea, in February 2022.
In February 2023, Le Commandant Charcot became the first passenger ship to venture to Pine Island Bay, at the south-eastern tip of the Amundsen Sea, on the first-ever half-circumnavigation of Antarctica. One of the longest expedition voyages ever made, in terms of both distance and time, for which PONANT also holds the record (over 14,400 km covered).
The first cruise ship to pass through the McClure Strait, at the mouth of the Beaufort Sea in the Canadian Northwest Territories, in September 2022. This historic voyage gave our guests the chance to observe many polar bears.
North Pole
The first French vessel to reach the Geographic North Pole in September 2021. It took its first guests there in July 2022.
The first ever passenger ship to deliver supplies to the isolated villages of Greenland's northeast coast early in the season. This project has now been extended over the long-term and will be widened to include other communities in western Greenland.
Bonuses for the staff is one of the customs of cruise ships and are left to your discretion. An anonymous envelope is left in your stateroom at the end of your cruise. You can leave it at reception in a box provided. This sum is generally in the range of €10-12 per day per passenger. It is then divided between the members of the crew.
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