According to the company’s new Sustainability Report, Ponant has strengthened its ties with local communities in 2023 through a range of initiatives.

The took place in territories where the company has a strong presence, the report explained, including the Arctic, the South Pacific and the Indian Ocean.

One of the highlights of the company’s efforts is a partnership with the Royal Arctic Line to deliver supplies to Inuit communities with Le Commandant Charcot.

According to Ponant, as part of the agreement, the icebreaker can be used to deliver food and other supplies when the vessels of the Royal Arctic Line cannot do so.

In May 2023, the village of Tasiilaq in Greenland was able to emerge from its winter isolation a month earlier due to the intervention of the ship.

Ponant’s Paul Gauguin also made its medical services available to remote populations in French Polynesia last year.

According to the company, the luxury ship is collaborating with local health authorities by making its doctors, nurses, and equipment available on a voluntary basis to the most isolated populations in the region.

While three sessions of medical consultations were already carried out in the Marquesas, 40 sessions per year are planned in the future.

In addition to the Marquesas, the project also includes aid to communities in the Tuamotus and transportation of local medical specialists to different parts of Tahiti.

Among the initiatives in the Indian Ocean, Le Champlain donated equipment to Madagascar and the Seychelles in March 2023.

According to Ponant, the vessel was involved in an operation that donated survival equipment and school materials to the Malagasy NGO Rosalie Échange Solidarité Madagascar.

In the Seychelles, the 180-guest ship donated mattresses and survival equipment to the Seychellois Red Cross.

The company’s strategy to strengthen ties with communities also includes scouting trips, which establish dialogue with local players.

“Reconnaissance trips are key to forging strong links with local communities and building unique experiences with them in areas that are ripe for exploration,” said Ponant’s Expedition Experience director José Sarica.