The French luxury cruise line Ponant has commissioned the first hybrid luxury icebreaker cruise ship, which will be powered by LNG natural gas. It will be called the Ponant Icebreaker and is expected to be launched in 2021.
It will have 135 cabins and will be certified as a “Clean Ship” for its environmental respect, and will allow exploration of regions such as the North Pole, the Weddell Sea and the Ross Sea (Antarctica), or Peter I Island.
The ship's hull will be of the PC2 type, capable of breaking through compact ice and reversing in extreme ice conditions.
“We are very excited to add this new icebreaker to our fleet,” said Edie Rodriguez, Americas brand chairman and corporate special advisor at Ponant. “It will be a completely clean and environmentally friendly vessel, to the extent that current technology allows, and will enable us to travel to the North Pole,” Rodriguez said.
Of its 135 cabins, 68 will be suites with private balconies. Two panoramic restaurants, a grill restaurant, and a spa will be among the onboard amenities, in addition to 16 Zodiacs and 2 helicopters for expeditions.
The shipyard that won the contract is Vard Holding Ltd., a Norwegian subsidiary of Fincantieri, which will have Aker Artic, Wärtsilä, GTT, and ABB as partners in the project.
