Ponant’s Icebreaker is First Ever to Reach North Pole of Inaccessibility

French cruise company Ponant is celebrating another record-setting first for the company’s unique icebreaker cruise ship, Le Commandant Charcot. Earlier in September, the company says it became the first vessel ever to reach a point in the Arctic Ocean known as the North Pole of Inaccessibility, a point that is furthest from land.

The North Pole of Inaccessibility was first described by the Russian polar explorer Alexander Koltchak in 1909. Hubert Wilkins flew over the area for the first time in 1927 but no one or a ship has ever stood in the spot. The definition of the coordinates was not established until 2013 when Jim McNeil with the help of NASA and satellites was able to pinpoint the spot. 

Ponant says the position is 1,465km (910 miles) from Utqiasuk in Alaska, 1,390km (864 miles) from Franz Josef Land in Russia, and 1,070km (665 miles) from Ellesmere Island in Canada. The Geographic North Pole, by comparison, is around 700km (435 miles) from land.

“Reaching the North Pole of Inaccessibility is a moment of rare intensity. Above all, it is a collective adventure, made possible thanks to Ponant’s passion and expertise,” says Captain Étienne Garcia.

 

Map showing the area reached by the icebreaker/cruise ship (Ponant)

 

Commissioned in 2021, Le Commandant Charcot (31,757 GT) has achieved several firsts in its career. In 2022, it even assisted the UK research vessel RRS Sir David Attenborough when it encountered difficult ice conditions in the Antarctic. The icebreaker/cruise ship is 492 feet (150 meters) in length with a Class PC2-rated ice hull. Living up to its billing as a luxury expedition cruise ship it has accommodations for 245 passengers, 215 crew, and offers two restaurants and a spa. However, it also hosts scientists and a lab. To minimize her environmental impact she is outfitted with a hybrid electric engine powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Le Commandant Charcot reached the North Pole of Inaccessibility, marking a milestone in the history of navigation, on September 12. While taking the Transpolar route from Nome, Alaska, to Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen, the ship also crossed the Magnetic North Pole on September 13 and the Geographic North Pole on September 15.

On board, 20 international scientists are on a mission to collect critical data in this unexplored area. The cruise line bills the ship as making possible polar expedition cruises of a kind never before undertaken.