Le Commandant Charcot will be built to Cleanship environmental standards and delivered in 2021
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Vard has cut the first pieces of steel for Ponant’s electric hybrid polar expedition cruise ship at its yard in Tulcea, Romania.
Named in honour of French explorer Jean-Baptiste Charcot, Le Commandant Charcot was jointly designed by Stirling Design International and icebreaker specialists Aker Arctic. The 135-room vessel is expected to be delivered in 2021.
Le Commandant Charcot will meet Cleanship environmental standards and will have dual-fuel engines from Wärtsilä that will primarily run on LNG, as well as electric batteries that will enable her to operate without engines for two to three hours. ABB’s Azipod units will provide propulsion, while systems for energy optimisation, energy recovery and advanced wastewater treatment will help to reduce her environmental impact. The vessel will also have a scientific laboratory, which will be used to carry out operational and oceanographic research.
Thanks to her PC2 Polar Class certification, Le Commandant Charcot will be able to sail itineraries to the North Pole and previously inaccessible areas of Antarctica, such as the Ross Sea, Charcot Island and Peter Island. The ship will be delivered in
“I am proud to be involved in the inception of a project that marks the culmination of 30 years of effort,” said Jean Emmanuel Sauvée, CEO and co-founder of Ponant. “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.”