Ponant’s Le Commandant Charcot has become the first vessel to reach the North Pole of Inaccessibility, the farthest point in the Arctic Ocean from any landmass.

In 1927, Hubert Wilkins flew over this Pole of Inaccessibility for the first time in a plane, according to Ponant, but no one had ever set foot on it.

The icebreaker expedition vessel Le Commandant Charcot carried guests, crew and an international team of 20 scientists to commemorate the feat.

The ship, which has a Polar Class 2 hull enabling her to navigate in extreme ice conditions, sailed from Nome, Alaska to Longyearbyen on Svalbard, and also crossed two other historical markers on her voyage: the Magnetic North Pole and the Geographic North Pole.

Ponant operates a fleet of 14 French-flagged small ships.