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Le Commandant Charcot is a Polar Class 2 luxury expedition cruise ship built by Vard Søviknes (Norway) for Ponant and delivered in 2021. She is the most ice-capable luxury cruise vessel ever built — capable of operating at 80° North and 80° South latitude — and is LNG-fuelled. She carries about 245 guests on 13- to 30-day polar expeditions to the Geographic North Pole, Weddell Sea, and other otherwise-inaccessible destinations.
Le Commandant Charcot crews work on the world's most-capable luxury polar expedition vessel. Marine officers need Polar Code certification, ice navigation experience, and DP capability; engineering officers handle the IGF Code LNG fuel system. The French-flag tonnage applies French labour law for crew rights, which is strong. Ponant's polar-expedition model emphasises crew safety and training intensity — the polar operating envelope leaves no margin for error.