Ponant’s upcoming expedition ship Le Commandant Charcot will be based in the Antarctic for its second winter season. 

The Polar Class PC2 vessel will sail its inaugural season in the destination for winter 2021-22 and will return for winter 2022-23 with two itineraries featuring semi-circumnavigations of the region.

The 28-night ‘Unexplored Antarctica between Two Continents’ expedition sails from Ushuaia, Argentina to Dunedin, New Zealand between January 15 and February 13, 2023.

The voyage will explore Bellingshausen, Amundsen and Ross seas - the world’s largest marine sanctuary, where whales, orcas, seals and penguins can be seen - and Marie Byrd Land, the last unclaimed land on our planet. Prices start from €37,530.

A second ‘From Dumont d’Urville to Mawson: retracing Heroic Age expeditions’ sailing runs from February 13 to March 12, 2023, for 26 nights in the opposite direction from Dunedin to Ushuaia.

The cruise includes visits to Adélie Land, Victoria Land and Marie Byrd Land, as well as Macquarie Island, a sub-Antarctic Australian island classified as a Unesco World Heritage Site for its extraordinary biodiversity. Prices start from €35,500.

Le Commandant Charcot is reportedly the first hybrid electric polar exploration ship powered by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).

The 245-guest vessel features the latest ‘green’ technologies such as waste-water treatment, 100% waste sorted on board and no single-use plastics. Ponant said the ship is a symbol of its efforts to reduce its environmental impact and consolidate its polar expertise. 

Ten cruises are proposed for Le Commandant Charcot’s inaugural season from November 2021 to March 2022, including six different itineraries.