Ship reference
Le Commandant Charcot
Ship specifications and sources.
Quick facts
- Cruise line
- PONANT Explorations
- Entered service
- 2021
- Status
- In service
About us Le Commandant Charcot
Le Commandant Charcot began passenger cruising in November 2021. PONANT's contemporary account records departure from Punta Arenas on 1 November for its inaugural Antarctic season. Construction delivery had taken place earlier that year. Technical and exploratory voyages before the first guests are distinct from the start of the commercial programme.
Vard built the hull at Tulcea in Romania and completed outfitting at Søviknes in Norway. The vessel is a purpose-built high-polar exploration ship, classified Polar Class 2. That specific design separates it from PONANT's smaller Explorers and their different ice capability. It does not make every possible route or landing available under all conditions.
Current operator and builder particulars identify a maximum of 245 guests, 123 staterooms and suites, and 215 crew. These present figures take precedence over an older construction announcement's different crew number. The room inventory is not multiplied to manufacture a double-occupancy capacity; the expressly published guest maximum remains its own measure.
The hybrid-electric plant combines dual-fuel capability, batteries and two 17-megawatt ABB Azipod units. The engineering designer identifies LNG and marine gas oil as fuels. This describes installed technical capability rather than a promise of an identical fuel mix on every voyage. Icebreaking performance and open-water maximum speed are also separate measures and should not be interchanged.
Science has a specific place aboard, with two laboratories and dedicated research space described by the operator. Guests share a ship designed to support observation of polar environments as well as travel. The scientific facilities do not imply that every departure carries the same researchers or an identical programme. Compare the actual voyage information with the broader ship concept.
Current individual insurance records match IMO 9846249 with gross tonnage of 31283 and Mata Utu registry. Vard specifies 150 metres overall length and a moulded beam of 28 metres. For a practical comparison, consider accommodation and itinerary together: sea time, lectures and activities ashore may shape the day differently from a conventional cruise. Confirm the exact departure and embarkation arrangements before organising independent transport.
Specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Year built | 2021 |
| Entered service | 2021 |
| Gross tonnage (GT) | 31,283 |
| Guests at double occupancy | — |
| Maximum guests | 245 |
| Crew | 215 |
| Cabins | 123 |
| Decks (total) | — |
| Length (m) | 150 |
| Beam (m) | 28 |
| Last verified refurbishment year | — |
| Maximum speed (knots) | — |
| IMO | 9846249 |
| Shipyard | Vard Tulcea, Romania (hull); Vard Søviknes, Norway (outfitting) |
| Flag | France |
| Propulsion / fuel description | Hybrid-electric dual-fuel LNG and marine-gas-oil power with batteries and two 17 MW ABB Azipod propulsion units |
A dash means no independently verified value is available. Guest counts at double occupancy and maximum capacity are different measures. GT measures enclosed volume, not weight.
Last checked:
Sources
- Ponant — currentindividualship and scienceprogramme — Accessed
245maximum123rooms215crew;two labs. Noidenticalresearchprogrammeguarantee.
- Vard — individualhull/outfittingchain and engineeringbasis — Accessed
TulceahullSoviknesoutfitting;July2021delivery;150LOA28moulded245pax123rooms215crew. Groupreportdated2Augustnotassumedexacthandoverday.
- Ponant — actualfirstguestsNovember2021 — Accessed
ExplicitPuntaArenas1November2021firstguests; earliertechnicalNorthPolevoyagenotpassengerstart.
- SteamshipMutual — individual2026/27entry — Accessed
9846249;31283GT;MataUtuFrenchregistry.
- FincantieriVard — completedhybridelectricvessel — Accessed
Actualcompleted2021PC2LNGbatteries; old235crewnotcurrent215.
- RailoTechnology — actualindividualengineeringreference — Accessed
Two17MWABBAzipod;LNG/MGO;PC2.28.3undefinedbeamnotreplacingspecific28moulded;2kniceperformanceNOTmaximumspeed.
- Clemessy — actualindividualpropulsorinstallation — Accessed
TwoAzipodactuallyinstalledforVard; notonlyorderannouncement.
- ABB — October 2026 shore-power retrofit status — Accessed
Charcot delivered 2021 with drydock electrical connection; standard interoperable cruise-terminal plug-in connection described as future retrofit. No completed interior-refit year inferred.