The Icebreaker
Le Commandant Charcot
The first hybrid electric polar exploration vessel powered by liquefied natural gas, exploring the most inaccessible shores.
French design and refinement
Built for where others stop.
There are places on this planet no passenger ship has ever reached. Le Commandant Charcot was built for exactly those places. Polar Class 2 hull. Two helicopters. A lounge below the waterline where you can hear the ice. Alain Ducasse in the kitchen. The world ends here. Come anyway.
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French design and refinement
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French design and refinement
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Uncharted horizons
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Scientific odyssey
Charcot moments
Between the landings, the ship keeps its own rhythm. A steam with the ice in full view. A slow lunch worth lingering over. A soak in the open-air Blue Lagoon while the cold watches from the rail. The quiet luxuries that turn a voyage into something you never quite leave behind.
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A sensory journey
Out here, the landscape does the talking. You take it in from a ship that stays warm and calm, refined without fuss, and quiet enough to let the ice keep your attention.
A sensory journey
Out here, the landscape does the talking. You take it in from a ship that stays warm and calm, refined without fuss, and quiet enough to let the ice keep your attention.
Life onboard
A day here has room for two lives. In the morning you are an explorer: Zodiac, ice, cold air, wildlife going about its business. By afternoon you are closer to a guest at a very good house, a French lunch that runs long, a lecture if you want one, an evening that starts at the bar and ends at the theatre. Same day, both worlds, and the ship makes the switch feel effortless.
On board Le Commandant Charcot, exploration is synonymous with ritual and communion with the polar environment.
Elegance and intimacy
Staterooms and suites
From the stateroom to the Owner's Suite, every room aboard is built around one thing: the ice beyond the glass. These are not cabins you retreat to and forget. They face the sea, they hold the light, they turn the long polar hours into something you look forward to. Warm interiors against a white horizon. A private balcony to meet the cold on your own terms. Space to sit with a view that shifts by the minute and never repeats. Whichever you choose, the room is part of the journey, not just where it pauses.
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Balcony Stateroom
A 53 ft² glazed private balcony Panoramic sliding window One king-size bed (180 x 190 cm) or two single beds (90 x 190 cm) Bathroom with a shower
Balcony Stateroom
A 53 ft² glazed private balcony Panoramic sliding window One king-size bed (180 x 190 cm) or two single beds (90 x 190 cm) Bathroom with a shower
Le Commandant Charcot
The Most Powerful Polar Expedition Ship Afloat
The Commandant Charcot is the world’s first and only Polar Class 2 passenger vessel. This classification denotes its unmatched capability to explore through thicker ice than any other expedition vessel, to reach the Geographic North Pole and the most isolated places of Antarctica, undisturbed by competition.It is built in 2021. It has a capacity of 245 guests and 235 crew members so it is intimate and not crowded. 68 suites have private balconies and the owner’s suite features a luxurious private whirlpool. The hybrid LNG/electric propulsion system, with a battery capacity of 5 MWh, is silent and clean while running on battery power alone, which is necessary for the observation of wildlife and fragile ecosystems. Real research, substance over style, with scientific labs built into the hull.
Ponant's commitments
Responsible exploration
PONANT brought together the latest available innovations and developed new ones to make Le Commandant Charcot the world's first hybrid electric polar exploration ship powered by liquefied natural gas, setting a new standard for responsible navigation and safety in polar waters. PONANT built this ship with one purpose: to reach the most fragile polar regions while treading as lightly as a vessel this size can. Every design choice serves that. This ship is a remarkable masterpiece in its own right. You are sailing the most modern vessel ever built for such an extraordinary expedition into unexplored waters that 99% of humanity has never seen.
Engineering Responsibility
How Le Commandant Charcot Redefines Polar Expedition
The preservation of polar ecosystems and coastal sea ice, vital habitat for marine fauna, is Ponant's priority. Expertise, innovation, humility in the face of nature, cooperation with local peoples, and minimal impact on the environment are essential keywords for a more responsible exploration.
Unique ship in the world to be able to rely on a 1.5-month autonomy on LNG thanks to two tanks of 4,500 m³.
Talk with a specialists
A conversation, not a commitment
We help match you with the expedition style, comfort level and itinerary that suits you.
The trip was amazing and would highly recommend Antarctic Cruise.
What a trip to Antarctic it was amazing. We used Antarctic Cruise, they were so helpful. Ben helped us book the cruise and flights that suited us, as we stayed in South America for a couple of weeks. Ben worked hard to get us a great price. Alicia was super helpful with the trip we were going on. Alicia has also helped us with a couple of things after the cruise. The trip was amazing and would highly recommend Antarctic Cruise. Thank you Ben & Alicia
Skye Parry
They speak from experience, communicated regularly and were able to problem solve when a slight issue arose.
We used Antarctica Cruise to book our trip of a lifetime to the 7th continent. We had been researching companies independently and were overwhelmed with all the differing options and prices. Antarctica Cruises deals with a whole range of companies that we had been looking at and this was why we contacted them. We gave our list of ‘must haves’ to Ben and he came up with a great deal from Silversea that had everything we wanted and more, for a great price, in less than 24 hours. Alicia also gave great journey support as did others when they weren’t available. Our cruise was amazing and better than we could have imagined. I highly recommend this company for booking your Antarctic cruise. They speak from experience, communicated regularly and were able to problem solve when a slight issue arose.
Anne D.
I would definitely recommend Antarctica Cruise.
My trip to the Falklands, South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula via Argentina on the Ponant ship Le Boreal was an amazing experience. Alicia James and the team at Antarctica Cruise did a great job of organizing the air travel, accommodation and the cruise itself. Alicia was also very good at communicating with me as to the various permits that had to be obtained and getting me started on Travel Key which I used quite a lot to keep up with what was going to happen next. I would definitely recommend Antarctica Cruise.
Tim and Jane M
The trip was amazing and would highly recommend Antarctic Cruise.
What a trip to Antarctic it was amazing. We used Antarctic Cruise, they were so helpful. Ben helped us book the cruise and flights that suited us, as we stayed in South America for a couple of weeks. Ben worked hard to get us a great price. Alicia was super helpful with the trip we were going on. Alicia has also helped us with a couple of things after the cruise. The trip was amazing and would highly recommend Antarctic Cruise. Thank you Ben & Alicia
Skye Parry
They speak from experience, communicated regularly and were able to problem solve when a slight issue arose.
We used Antarctica Cruise to book our trip of a lifetime to the 7th continent. We had been researching companies independently and were overwhelmed with all the differing options and prices. Antarctica Cruises deals with a whole range of companies that we had been looking at and this was why we contacted them. We gave our list of ‘must haves’ to Ben and he came up with a great deal from Silversea that had everything we wanted and more, for a great price, in less than 24 hours. Alicia also gave great journey support as did others when they weren’t available. Our cruise was amazing and better than we could have imagined. I highly recommend this company for booking your Antarctic cruise. They speak from experience, communicated regularly and were able to problem solve when a slight issue arose.
Anne D.
I would definitely recommend Antarctica Cruise.
My trip to the Falklands, South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula via Argentina on the Ponant ship Le Boreal was an amazing experience. Alicia James and the team at Antarctica Cruise did a great job of organizing the air travel, accommodation and the cruise itself. Alicia was also very good at communicating with me as to the various permits that had to be obtained and getting me started on Travel Key which I used quite a lot to keep up with what was going to happen next. I would definitely recommend Antarctica Cruise.
Tim and Jane M
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