Construction is officially underway for Ponant’s revolutionary Le Commandant Charcot, a LNG-powered icebreaker with capacity for 270 guests.
“I am proud to be involved in the inception of a project that marks the culmination of 30 years of effort. Exploring little-known lands and sharing and transmitting our passion for the sea and for nature have always been our driving forces. Our fervent desire is that our passengers, being in daily contact with scientists and experts, and meeting with the local populations, become ambassadors for the protection of these regions,” said Jean Emmanuel Sauvée CEO and Co-Founder of Ponant, a French luxury expedition cruise brand.
Steel was cut earlier this month in a ceremony at VARD, part of Fincantieri, at its Tulcea facility in Romania.
The vessel will launch in 2021, and is designed for what the company called intense polar expeditions with PC2 Polar Class certification.
Ponant received two new 180-guest Explorer-class vessels earlier this year, and will get an additional four before taking delivery of its ice-breaking vessel.
