MV Le Commandant Charcot, FR
MV Le Commandant Charcot, FR
MV Le Commandant Charcot is an icebreaking cruise ship with 2.5 m thick icebreaking capacity operated by the French shipping company Compagnie du Ponant, France.
Up to 4 scientists can join each leg for sampling or measurements in the high Arctic or in the Southern Ocean. It is equipped with two science laboratories, sampling equipment (Niskin bottles, winch for 1000m deep sampling) and instruments (Ferrybox, SeaIce thickness monitoring, pCO2 measurements).
Contribution to POLARIN key research challenges: 1,2,4,5,6,7
Contact: science[at]ponant.com
Website
https://us.ponant.com/cruises/on-board/vessel-le-commandant-charcot
Location
Home Port: Le Havre, France
Facilities
Le Commandant Charcot is able to sail to remote areas that are normally difficult for scientists to access. Le Commandant Charcot is equipped with laboratories, specialised instruments, staterooms and a dedicated workforce, and offers a platform for observation, research and analysis that can be used for studying polar regions.
CHARCOT is a passenger vessel with 2.5 m thick icebreaking capacity delivered in August 2021.
More information about the science can be found in the Science operating manual.
Services offered
Transnational access is offered to 4 scientists on each cruise for single missions or long-term missions.
Researchers from French institutions who are interested in berth access should contact science@ponant.com directly.
What is included in the Access
Unit of access: RI/day
Modalities of access offered: In-person access and remote access
The access includes a feasibility study by the infrastructure coordinator, instrument preparation, calibration and operation done by the science officer. Lodging and meals onboard the ship are also included. The typical duration of work is 10 to 28 days. The infrastructure operations and schedule are shared with the users. The selected users are independent to carry out their scientific work but constrained by the normal ship’s operation.
Availability for Access
See the table in the dedicated Transnational Access call page.
Transnational access is offered to 4 scientists on each cruise for single missions or long-term missions in 2025 and 2026.
14/10/2026 – 01/09/2027
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Availability of Le Commandant Charcot in the time frame of the Antarctica InSync initiative
Cruises
CC271027 | 27/10/2027 | 08/11/2027 | Antarctica |
CC081127 | 08/11/2027 | 20/11/2027 | Antarctica |
CC201127 | 20/11/2027 | 02/12/2027 | Antarctica |
CC021227 | 02/12/2027 | 16/12/2027 | Antarctica |
CC161227 | 16/12/2027 | 28/12/2027 | Antarctica |
CC281227 | 28/12/2027 | 11/01/2028 | Antarctica |
Itineraries for each cruise with the start and end of each cruise in bold.
Date | Weekday | Cruise Code | Region | Location | Country |
27/10/2027 | Wed | CC271027 | Weddell Sea | Ushuaia | Argentina |
28/10/2027 | Thu | CC271027 | Weddell Sea | Crossing the Drake Passage | At Sea |
29/10/2027 | Fri | CC271027 | Weddell Sea | Crossing the Drake Passage | At Sea |
30/10/2027 | Sat | CC271027 | Weddell Sea | North Antarctic Peninsula | Antarctica |
31/10/2027 | Sun | CC271027 | Weddell Sea | Antarctic Peninsula | Antarctica |
01/11/2027 | Mon | CC271027 | Weddell Sea | The Weddell Sea exploration | Antarctica |
02/11/2027 | Tue | CC271027 | Weddell Sea | The Weddell Sea exploration | Antarctica |
03/11/2027 | Wed | CC271027 | Weddell Sea | North Antarctic Peninsula | Antarctica |
04/11/2027 | Thu | CC271027 | Weddell Sea | The Weddell Sea exploration | Antarctica |
05/11/2027 | Fri | CC271027 | Weddell Sea | The Weddell Sea exploration | Antarctica |
06/11/2027 | Sat | CC271027 | Weddell Sea | Crossing the Drake Passage | At Sea |
07/11/2027 | Sun | CC271027 | Weddell Sea | Crossing the Drake Passage | At Sea |
08/11/2027 | Mon | CC081127 | Weddell Sea | Ushuaia | Argentina |
09/11/2027 | Tue | CC081127 | Weddell Sea | Crossing the Drake Passage | At Sea |
10/11/2027 | Wed | CC081127 | Weddell Sea | Crossing the Drake Passage | At Sea |
11/11/2027 | Thu | CC081127 | Weddell Sea | North Antarctic Peninsula | Antarctica |
12/11/2027 | Fri | CC081127 | Weddell Sea | Antarctic Peninsula | Antarctica |
13/11/2027 | Sat | CC081127 | Weddell Sea | The Weddell Sea exploration | Antarctica |
14/11/2027 | Sun | CC081127 | Weddell Sea | The Weddell Sea exploration | Antarctica |
15/11/2027 | Mon | CC081127 | Weddell Sea | North Antarctic Peninsula | Antarctica |
16/11/2027 | Tue | CC081127 | Weddell Sea | The Weddell Sea exploration | Antarctica |
17/11/2027 | Wed | CC081127 | Weddell Sea | The Weddell Sea exploration | Antarctica |
18/11/2027 | Thu | CC081127 | Weddell Sea | Crossing the Drake Passage | At Sea |
19/11/2027 | Fri | CC081127 | Weddell Sea | Crossing the Drake Passage | At Sea |
20/11/2027 | Sat | CC201127 | Weddell Sea | Ushuaia | Argentina |
21/11/2027 | Sun | CC201127 | Weddell Sea | Crossing the Drake Passage | At Sea |
22/11/2027 | Mon | CC201127 | Weddell Sea | Crossing the Drake Passage | At Sea |
23/11/2027 | Tue | CC201127 | Weddell Sea | North Antarctic Peninsula | Antarctica |
24/11/2027 | Wed | CC201127 | Weddell Sea | Antarctic Peninsula | Antarctica |
25/11/2027 | Thu | CC201127 | Weddell Sea | The Weddell Sea exploration | Antarctica |
26/11/2027 | Fri | CC201127 | Weddell Sea | The Weddell Sea exploration | Antarctica |
27/11/2027 | Sat | CC201127 | Weddell Sea | North Antarctic Peninsula | Antarctica |
28/11/2027 | Sun | CC201127 | Weddell Sea | The Weddell Sea exploration | Antarctica |
29/11/2027 | Mon | CC201127 | Weddell Sea | The Weddell Sea exploration | Antarctica |
30/11/2027 | Tue | CC201127 | Weddell Sea | Crossing the Drake Passage | At Sea |
01/12/2027 | Wed | CC201127 | Weddell Sea | Crossing the Drake Passage | At Sea |
02/12/2027 | Thu | CC021227 | Marguerite Bay | Ushuaia | Argentina |
03/12/2027 | Fri | CC021227 | Marguerite Bay | Crossing the Drake Passage | At Sea |
04/12/2027 | Sat | CC021227 | Marguerite Bay | Crossing the Drake Passage | At Sea |
05/12/2027 | Sun | CC021227 | Marguerite Bay | Crossing the Antarctic Circle | At Sea |
05/12/2027 | Sun | CC021227 | Marguerite Bay | The Gullet | Antarctica |
06/12/2027 | Mon | CC021227 | Marguerite Bay | At sea aboard Le Commandant Charcot | At Sea |
06/12/2027 | Mon | CC021227 | Marguerite Bay | Expedition to Charcot Island | Antarctica |
07/12/2027 | Tue | CC021227 | Marguerite Bay | Expedition to Charcot Island | Antarctica |
08/12/2027 | Wed | CC021227 | Marguerite Bay | Bellingshausen Sea | Antarctica |
09/12/2027 | Thu | CC021227 | Marguerite Bay | At sea aboard Le Commandant Charcot | At Sea |
10/12/2027 | Fri | CC021227 | Marguerite Bay | Marguerite Bay | Antarctica |
11/12/2027 | Sat | CC021227 | Marguerite Bay | Pourquoi Pas Island | Antarctica |
12/12/2027 | Sun | CC021227 | Marguerite Bay | Antarctic Peninsula | Antarctica |
13/12/2027 | Mon | CC021227 | Marguerite Bay | Antarctic Peninsula | Antarctica |
14/12/2027 | Tue | CC021227 | Marguerite Bay | Crossing the Drake Passage | At Sea |
15/12/2027 | Wed | CC021227 | Marguerite Bay | Crossing the Drake Passage | At Sea |
16/12/2027 | Thu | CC161227 | Weddell Sea | Ushuaia | Argentina |
17/12/2027 | Fri | CC161227 | Weddell Sea | Crossing the Drake Passage | At Sea |
18/12/2027 | Sat | CC161227 | Weddell Sea | Crossing the Drake Passage | At Sea |
19/12/2027 | Sun | CC161227 | Weddell Sea | North Antarctic Peninsula | Antarctica |
20/12/2027 | Mon | CC161227 | Weddell Sea | Antarctic Peninsula | Antarctica |
21/12/2027 | Tue | CC161227 | Weddell Sea | The Weddell Sea exploration | Antarctica |
22/12/2027 | Wed | CC161227 | Weddell Sea | The Weddell Sea exploration | Antarctica |
23/12/2027 | Thu | CC161227 | Weddell Sea | North Antarctic Peninsula | Antarctica |
24/12/2027 | Fri | CC161227 | Weddell Sea | The Weddell Sea exploration | Antarctica |
25/12/2027 | Sat | CC161227 | Weddell Sea | The Weddell Sea exploration | Antarctica |
26/12/2027 | Sun | CC161227 | Weddell Sea | Crossing the Drake Passage | At Sea |
27/12/2027 | Mon | CC161227 | Weddell Sea | Crossing the Drake Passage | At Sea |
28/12/2027 | Tue | CC281227 | Marguerite Bay | Ushuaia | Argentina |
29/12/2027 | Wed | CC281227 | Marguerite Bay | Crossing the Drake Passage | At Sea |
30/12/2027 | Thu | CC281227 | Marguerite Bay | Crossing the Drake Passage | At Sea |
31/12/2027 | Fri | CC281227 | Marguerite Bay | Crossing the Antarctic Circle | At Sea |
31/12/2027 | Fri | CC281227 | Marguerite Bay | The Gullet | Antarctica |
01/01/2028 | Sat | CC281227 | Marguerite Bay | At sea aboard Le Commandant Charcot | At Sea |
01/01/2028 | Sat | CC281227 | Marguerite Bay | Expedition to Charcot Island | Antarctica |
02/01/2028 | Sun | CC281227 | Marguerite Bay | Expedition to Charcot Island | Antarctica |
03/01/2028 | Mon | CC281227 | Marguerite Bay | Bellingshausen Sea | Antarctica |
04/01/2028 | Tue | CC281227 | Marguerite Bay | At sea aboard Le Commandant Charcot | At Sea |
05/01/2028 | Wed | CC281227 | Marguerite Bay | Marguerite Bay | Antarctica |
06/01/2028 | Thu | CC281227 | Marguerite Bay | Pourquoi Pas Island | Antarctica |
07/01/2028 | Fri | CC281227 | Marguerite Bay | Antarctic Peninsula | Antarctica |
08/01/2028 | Sat | CC281227 | Marguerite Bay | Antarctic Peninsula | Antarctica |
09/01/2028 | Sun | CC281227 | Marguerite Bay | Crossing the Drake Passage | At Sea |
10/01/2028 | Mon | CC281227 | Marguerite Bay | Crossing the Drake Passage | At Sea |
09/02/2028 | Wed | CC090228 | Lay up | Hobart, Tasmania | Australia |
Time frame for access preparations
Time frame to receive the documentation from RI users (after access is granted): Less than one month
Time frame for logistic arrangements to access the RI: 6 months before access.
Permits, licenses, training and insurances
The RI operator requires the TA Users to have an all-risk insurance with a coverage limit of 2 M€, covering any damage or loss caused to scientist (damage, injury, death), PONANT and its employees, passengers on board (damage, injury, death), the vessel, its crew and equipment and any third party in relation to the performance of the TA supported research on CHARCOT.
Medical guidelines
Health questionnaire required.
Operational area and availability
| Ship | From | From Port | Turn Around Date | To Port | Region | Berths Available |
| Le Commandant-Charcot | 9/25/2025 | Nome, Alaska | 10/3/2025 | Seattle | Positioning : no stops along the way | 4 |
| Le Commandant-Charcot | 10/5/2025 | Seattle | 10/29/2025 | Ushuaia | Positioning: no stops along the way | 4 |
| Le Commandant-Charcot | 10/31/2025 | Ushuaia | 11/12/2025 | Ushuaia | Antarctica | 4 |
| Le Commandant-Charcot | 11/12/2025 | Ushuaia | 11/24/2025 | Ushuaia | Antarctica | 4 |
| Le Commandant-Charcot | 11/24/2025 | Ushuaia | 12/6/2025 | Ushuaia | Antarctica | 4 |
| Le Commandant-Charcot | 12/6/2025 | Ushuaia | 12/20/2025 | Ushuaia | Antarctica | 4 |
| Le Commandant-Charcot | 12/20/2025 | Ushuaia | 1/3/2026 | Ushuaia | Antarctica | 4 |
| Le Commandant-Charcot | 1/3/2026 | Ushuaia | 1/17/2026 | Ushuaia | Antarctica | 4 |
| Le Commandant-Charcot | 1/17/2026 | Ushuaia | 2/15/2026 | Hobart, Tasmania | Antarctica | 4 |
| Le Commandant-Charcot | 2/17/2026 | Hobart, Tasmania | 3/17/2026 | Cape Town | Antarctica | 4 |
| Le Commandant-Charcot | 3/17/2026 | Cape Town | 4/6/2026 | Brest | Positioning: no stops along the way | 4 |
| Le Commandant-Charcot | 4/30/2026 | Brest | 5/4/2026 | Reykjavík | Sea Panoramas | 4 |
| Le Commandant-Charcot | 5/4/2026 | Reykjavík | 5/14/2026 | Reykjavík | Western Arctic | 4 |
| Le Commandant-Charcot | 5/14/2026 | Reykjavík | 5/28/2026 | Reykjavík | Western Arctic | 4 |
| Le Commandant-Charcot | 5/28/2026 | Reykjavík | 6/13/2026 | Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen | Western Arctic | 4 |
| Le Commandant-Charcot | 6/13/2026 | Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen | 6/29/2026 | Reykjavík | Western Arctic | 4 |
| Le Commandant-Charcot | 6/30/2026 | Reykjavík | 7/12/2026 | Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen | Western Arctic | 4 |
| Le Commandant-Charcot | 7/12/2026 | Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen | 7/27/2026 | Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen | Western Arctic | 4 |
| Le Commandant-Charcot | 7/27/2026 | Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen | 8/11/2026 | Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen | Western Arctic | 4 |
| Le Commandant-Charcot | 8/11/2026 | Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen | 8/26/2026 | Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen | Western Arctic | 4 |
| Le Commandant-Charcot | 8/27/2026 | Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen | 9/11/2026 | Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen | Western Arctic | 4 |
| Le Commandant-Charcot | 9/11/2026 | Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen | 9/27/2026 | Reykjavík | Western Arctic | 4 |