Vard Delivers Expedition Cruise Ship to Ponant

Shipbuilder and designer Vard on Monday said it delivered the newly built expedition cruise ship Le Commandant Charcot for the French cruise company Ponant.

The electric hybrid polar exploration vessel propelled with liquefied natural gas (LNG) has been developed by Ponant, Stirling Design International, Aker Arctic and Fincantieri subsidiary Vard. The vessel, classified as Polar Class 2, is specially designed to bring passengers to discover the polar world’s extreme unexplored lands such as the geographic North Pole (90 degrees North Latitude), the Weddell Sea, the Ross Sea and Peter I Island. 

It is said to be the first-ever hybrid-electric cruise vessel featuring both icebreaking technology and dual fuel propulsion, equipped with high-capacity batteries and LNG storage on board.

Le Commandant Charcot is about 30,000 gross tons, about 150 meters long and 28 meters wide. The vessel accommodates 245 passengers in 123 staterooms, in addition to a crew of  235 persons.