PONANT is a luxury French expedition cruise operator, renowned for its elegant French style, small-ship experience, and commitment to sustainable exploration. With a fleet that includes modern expedition vessels and the world’s first luxury icebreaker, Le Commandant Charcot, PONANT offers immersive voyages to remote destinations, from the polar regions to tropical archipelagos. Guests can expect refined hospitality, expert-led excursions, and a strong focus on environmental responsibility, including LNG-powered Le Commandant Charcot. PONANT has also an exceptional array of partnerships that span from scientific institutions to lifestyle brands and more.
A one-of-a-kind icebreaker
Unlike traditional expedition ships, Le Commandant Charcot is the only icebreaker currently operating in expedition cruising. Historically, icebreakers have been used for extreme polar voyages—reaching the North Pole or navigating remote Arctic regions. In the past, cruise line companies chartered retired Russian icebreakers such as 50 Years of Victory, Yamal, and Arktika to accomplish these feats. Today, Le Commandant Charcot stands alone in this category, offering a unique and modern approach to high-latitude exploration.
Launched in 2021, Le Commandant Charcot is a hybrid-powered icebreaker, running on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and electric batteries, allowing for short silent cruising periods without engine emissions. In just four years, she has already achieved significant milestones: reaching both the geographical and magnetic North Pole, as well as the Northern Pole of Inaccessibility in September 2024. This year, rather than wintering in the Southern Hemisphere, she is exploring Canada’s St. Lawrence River in winter.
Luxury meets expedition
Le Commandant Charcot is a luxurious expedition ship, combining comfort and elegance for an exceptional travel experience.She boasts an Alain Ducasse restaurant—a name synonymous with Michelin-starred excellence (fun fact: Ducasse is one of the very few chefs to have earned 21 Michelin stars in his career). A heated outdoor infinity pool offers a surreal experience amid the icy landscapes she navigates, while her elegantly designed public spaces and staterooms exude a refined French aesthetic.
Equipped with 123 suites and staterooms with private balcony or terrace, Le Commandant Charcot is fully in keeping with the PONANT philosophy: to provide a rare and exceptional ambiance for every passenger welcomed onboard and reinforce the feeling and sense of sailing on a private yacht. At the rear of decks 6 and 7 are four stunning 94 m² (1,011 ft²) split-level suites equipped with private terraces and jacuzzis.
The breathtaking 115 m² (1,237 ft²) Suite de l’Armateur (Shipowner’s Suite) on deck 8 features wide sliding glass doors offering stunning panoramic views and opening out onto a 186 m² (2,002 ft²) private terrace.
A floating research hub
Beyond her impressive technical capabilities, Le Commandant Charcot serves as a floating research station. Onboard, two dedicated science labs host researchers conducting experiments, collecting data, and sharing findings with the scientific community and the public. In an industry still far from fully sustainable—largely due to the lack of widely available sustainable fuel and other challenges—PONANT stands out as a leader in how commercial expedition cruising can contribute to scientific research and environmental understanding in some of the planet’s most remote locations.
As their science programme evolves and solidifies, PONANT clients can now access annual report and learn more about the impact the company facilitated: over 150 researchers took advantage of this partnership in 2023 (according to the latest available report) and engaged in 59 scientific missions which otherwise would have been a costly endeavour and unlikely to happen without PONANT’s support. And while the resident scientists are mainly onboard to conduct research, they also eagerly engage with the clients through sharing their findings during lectures, being available to answer questions, and during the lab visits.
Who is Le Commandant Charcot for?
Le Commandant Charcot was built to specifically sail in polar regions, and this is where her might is the most apparent. Le Commandant Charcot is first and foremost, the best ship for guests with big polar dreams: those who hope to reach the North Pole or explore Weddell Sea in depth- there simply is no other ship in the industry that can achieve what Le Commandant Charcot can in the polar extremes.
She is also an incredibly elegant and luxurious ship – so those guests who enjoy finer things in life and are keen to explore some of the remotest corners of Earth in ultimate style will love her too – Alan Ducasse restaurant onboard will delight and surprise with daily renewed menus, served by highly trained staff who would have all gone through extensive training to meet Michelin standards; the onboard spa, indoors and outdoors pools, a gym, Le Bar and various public areas will provide ample space to relax and take in the beautiful frozen scenery the ship travels to.
PONANT’s partnerships with organizations such as Smithsonian Institute, The Explorers Club, as well as regular resident scientists that join the company through various grants also ensure high calibre guest speakers and engaging conversations about the places the ship travels to – so the trips will also appeal to the guests willing to learn more about the planet from leading experts and through thought-provoking conversations and ability to observe the phenomenon in situ.
