French cruise operator Ponant took delivery of a new polar-capable exploration vessel on Monday, August 2.
Built by Fincantieri subsidiary Vard, Le Commandant Charcot features a hybrid LNG and battery propulsion system and icebreaking capability in compliance to Polar Class 2 notation. Its intended destinations will include the North Pole, the Weddell Sea, the Ross Sea, and Peter I Island.
The vessel has a length of 150 metres, a beam of 28 metres, a crew of 235, and 123 staterooms that can house 245 passengers.