By Staff Writer
Guests are now able to book their cruises for PONANT’s Arctic 2021 tour on polar exploration vessel Le Commandant-Charcot. The hybrid electric ship will be the first to bring guests to the geographic North Pole at 90 degrees latitude north.
Continuing to the eastern coast of Greenland, the Northwest Passage, the Ross Sea, the Charcot and Peter I islands, the revolutionary vessel will treat guests to brand new itineraries in regions usually inaccessible to classically-designed ships. Innovative routing software makes it possible for Le Commandant-Charcot to slip through the naturally-created channels in the ice, while the ship’s powerful engines allow it to free itself, if necessary, from denser sea ice.
It has additionally been designed to minimise its environmental impact and will also host a scientific research laboratory to study the ecosystems and the biodiversity of these polar settings. This PONANT addition is the first exploration vessel to surpass the ecological standards set out by international regulations.
Itineraries include the “In the Wake of Captain Jean-Baptiste Charcot” Expedition, which commences in Le Havre, France for a 14-night voyage through the Alftanes Peninsular in Iceland, the ice floes of Greenland and more; the “Geographic North Pole” Expedition which goes from Reykjavik, Iceland to Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen and follows the direction of the North Pole; and the “Discovering the Northeast Greenland National Park” Expedition, a trek in partnership with National Geographic Expeditions, that traces the nordic landscape for 13 days starting in Reykjavik, Iceland.
Additional itineraries, pricing and sales for PONANT’s Arctic 2021 tour are open now.