Ponant’s Le Commandant-Charcot, a hybrid electric polar exploration vessel, arrived at the VARD shipyard in Soviknes, Norway on April 28, 2020 for the final stages of construction, one year before its delivery in April 2021.

The ship’s hull was towed during a one-month voyage from a VARD facility in Romania, where the hull was completed along with superstructure steel work.

Le Commandant-Charcot will be the first hybrid electric ship running on LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas), marking a major innovation in Ponant’s commitment to sustainable tourism, the company said.

This PC2 Polar Class ship is designed to safely sail in extreme polar regions while consuming the cleanest energy currently available.

The vessel will be fitted with laboratories, equipment, and dedicated staterooms and personnel. Le Commandant-Charcot will offer a platform for observation, research and analysis, and thereby joining in the global effort to study and conserve the poles.