Le Commandant Charcot was debuted in Le Havre this week, the port from which French explorer Jean-Baptiste Charcot departed for the Antarctic in 1904.

The ceremony for Ponant’s 13th ship, the line’s "most ground-breaking", was attended by the explorer’s great-granddaughter Anne Manipoud-Charcot.

Powered by a hybrid electric liquefied natural gas (LNG) propulsion system, Ponant said Le Commandant Charcot was "aligned with the company’s commitment to sustainable tourism".

The ship has been designed to Polar Class PC2 allowing it to sail safely and sustainably to extreme, far-reached territories of both the Arctic and Antarctic, including the geographic north pole, the Weddell sea, the Ross sea and Pierre-1st island.

It also features onboard waste recycling and sewage management, and is fitted with research facilities and equipment allowing it to serve as a platform for scientific study of polar regions.

With 123 cabins, the ship can carry up to 245 guests.

"The boldness of this project is not just about taking passengers to the far corners of the Arctic and the Antarctic, it is about doing it safely and following the same values and principles of seamanship that move us," said Gastinel.

"Our values are first about respect for nature – this nature that is so dear to us, all the more knowing how much we owe the oceans and the fragile eco-systems we travel. Polar regions in particular deserve the highest respect and attention. We are committed to this mission every day and today ever more."