World’s Only Luxury Icebreaker Becomes First Ship To Reach North Pole Of Inaccessibility

Le Commandant Charcot, an ice-breaking cruise ship operated by Ponant, a French cruise ship company, became the first ship to reach the North Pole of Inaccessibility on September 12, 2024.

The ship was on its transpolar voyage from Nome, Alaska, to Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen.

During the expedition, the ship passed through the Magnetic North Pole on September 13 and the Geographic North Pole on September 15.

The North Pole of Inaccessibility is the Arctic Ocean’s most remote point, located about 620 miles from the nearest coast.

It is considered one of the least accessible places on Earth due to its extreme isolation and harsh conditions.

Captain Étienne Garcia stated that reaching this point is a rare moment and a shared adventure made possible by Ponant’s expertise and passion.

Le Commandant Charcot is more than just an expedition cruise ship. It also functions as a floating scientific laboratory. The vessel carried 20 international scientists onboard, who collected crucial information in the rarely explored area.

The ship has two dedicated scientific laboratories and specialized equipment to facilitate environmental monitoring, glaciology, marine biology and oceanography research.

Since 2021, Le Commandant Charcot has accommodated over 150 scientists and contributed to over 60 international projects, many of which lasted several years.

Ponant will work with the Polarin project funded by the European Union from 2024 to 2029 to develop a global network of polar research infrastructure. This collaboration is crucial as climate change continues to impact the polar regions.

Le Commandant Charcot features a Polar Class 2 (PC2) hull, which allows it to sail through harsh polar locations while reducing its environmental impact.

The vessel is powered by a hybrid electric engine that operates on liquified natural gas (LNG), which helps reduce environmental impact during explorations.

Alexander Koltchak, a Russian explorer, first described the North Pole as inaccessible in 1909.

Its exact coordinates, 85°48′ North and 176°09′ East, were discovered in 2013 using NASA satellite data. The location is far more than the Geographic North Pole, about 700 kilometers from land.

Despite being flown over by Hubert Wilkins in 1927, no one had ever set foot on this inaccessible site until the momentous journey.

The crew, guests, and scientists onboard the Le Commandant Charcot celebrated the accomplishment.

Reference: Cruise Mapper, Cruise Hive

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Source: Maritime Shipping News