Le Commandant Charcot has achieved a historic maritime milestone, becoming the first vessel to reach the North Pole of Inaccessibility under the command of Captain Etienne Garcia. This feat marks a significant chapter in polar navigation.
Captain Garcia, reflecting on the journey, remarked that reaching the North Pole of Inaccessibility is an extraordinary collective achievement, made possible by PONANT's passion and expertise.
On September 12th, the vessel reached the Pole of Inaccessibility during her Transpolar voyage from Nome, Alaska, to Longyearbyen Spitsbergen. Along the way, she also crossed the Magnetic North Pole on September 13th and the Geographic North Pole on September 15th.
Le Commandant Charcot, purpose-built for polar expeditions, carried 20 international scientists onboard, collecting essential data in this rarely explored region. The vessel, classified as Polar Class 2 (PC2), is equipped for navigation in extreme polar environments. Its hybrid-electric propulsion, LNG-powered/by liquefied natural gas, allows the ship to minimize the environmental impact while exploring these remote areas.
The North Pole of Inaccessibility, first described by Russian explorer Alexander Koltchak in 1909, is defined as the most distant point from land in the Arctic Ocean. Its precise coordinates - 85°48' North, 176°09' East - were calculated in 2013 using NASA satellite data. Located 1,465 kilometers from Alaska's Utqiasuk, 1,390 kilometers from Franz Josef Land Russia, and 1,070 kilometers from Canada's Ellesmere Island, it is notably more remote than the Geographic North Pole, which is ~700 kilometers from land.
Though first flown over by Hubert Wilkins in 1927, no one had ever set foot on this elusive location until this voyage. The achievement was celebrated by the crew, scientists, and guests aboard Le Commandant Charcot, marking a pivotal moment in maritime exploration.