French cruiseship owner Ponant has sent its first LNG-fuelled expedition vessel to the geographic North Pole.
The company said in a social media post that its 230-passenger, 11,000-gt newbuilding Le Commander Charcot had reached the Arctic outpost on 6 September saying it was "a first for a French ship, powered by LNG".
A spokeswoman for Ponant told TradeWinds that Le Commandant Charcot sailed with LNG throughout its journey from Tromso and is now using its electric batteries "in order to have zero emission at the geographic North Pole".
The Polar Class 2 vessel’s two captains, commander Patrick Marchesseau and commander Etienne Garcia, said: "It is an immense pride to have been at the helm of the first French ship to reach the geographical North Pole, the culmination of a collective adventure undertaken by Ponant for many years."
Ponant has yet to reveal full details of its plans to fuel its pioneering expedition cruiseship.
Sources told TradeWinds that the vessel, which has been built to the highest ice specification, was supplied with initial bunkers by Finland’s Gasum before it left for the Arctic.
Gasum has not replied to a request for details about the bunkering.
Le Commander Charcot is the first high-polar exploration vessel with a hybrid electric and LNG-fuelled propulsion system.
It is kitted out with two azipod thrusters capable of independently breaking ice more than two metres thick and moving either stern or bow first.
In June, TradeWinds reported the expedition vessel’s inaugural 16-day voyage to the geographic North Pole — departing in August at prices from £21,400 ($29,787) — was fully booked.
The company billed the trip as “an opportunity to experience slow navigation in the heart of the silent world of ice”, explaining that the destination is 700 km (435 miles) from any land.
Le Commander Charcot is due to begin cruises to Antarctica in October and there is increasing interest in where the ship will take on its LNG bunkers.
A rash of expedition cruiseship newbuildings are due to be delivered as the cruise market tentatively reopens for business.
But there are concerns about the effects such vessels and their passengers may have on sensitive Arctic and Antarctic environments, along with the burden this may place on the search and rescue in these remote regions.
