Cruising to the North Pole: Interview with Ryo Ijichi from Ponant

You're about to board, where are you heading?

I'm joining the ship in Svalbard and then heading to the North Pole. It's a 14-night expedition and I'll do two trips. I did the same last year and I'm due to join the 2026 expeditions as well. Not a lot of people do two North Pole trips every year, so I would say it's very fortunate work.

What's an expedition to the North Pole like?

It still excites me every time I go. It's not just about reaching the North Pole. There is a variety of experiences and scenery that guests can see within the 14 nights. When I do my briefings on board I say "I'm going to take you to the North Pole with the captain" but I'm also giving the full picture of the high Arctic in terms of wildlife, scenery, ice, and snow.

What are the chances of making it to the North Pole?

We at Ponant have succeeded in making it to the North Pole on every attempt. We plan very well for it. The average duration we need to get there and back from Europe is about 10 nights but we allow for 14 to give us a few nights to play with, which we usually use to explore Greenland or Svalbard's northern and western coasts to create the variety.

What makes Le Commandant Charcot so special?

Well, first of all, we go through a lot more ice compared to any other ship as we are a true icebreaker. Moving forwards the ship can easily cope with ice that exceeds 3 metres. In reverse, the ship's propellers are used to mince the ice. During sea trials, our record was going through an ice ridge of 21 metres. This was done on the inaugural voyage to the North Pole and the ship is capable of going into the middle of completely frozen sea ice where we'll then need to prepare activities.

Operationally this means more time spent doing ice assessment to check it's safe. We have a helicopter for scouting, looking for opportunities to offer a variety of activities, and this requires specific training and certificates. As it's so unique there is a fixed staff rotation, so I work with the same team and captains, and knowing them so well, means we can work closely together to deliver for guests, talking every day saying "ok, can we do a landing here? Can we do this activity?".

How does Le Commandant Charcot compare to other icebreakers?

The first time I went to the North Pole was on the 50 Years of Victory almost 10 years ago, it's a nuclear-powered Russian research vessel, so it's definitely not a passenger vessel. You can't even compare the two. On the 50 Years of Victory, guests stay in the officers' cabins while the officers leave their cabins because the ship is chartered for the summer period when officers are away with families.

The best amenity you might have in a suite is a gigantic work desk, whereas suites on Charcot have a jacuzzi on their private balconies. 50 Years is a working ship, only taking guests in its spare time* but Charcot is a purpose-built passenger icebreaker.

Tell me about Le Commandant Charcot's Antarctic operations.

Charcot goes to Antarctica every two years, whereas the Arctic is a yearly thing. So every other year we keep the ship in the Northern Hemisphere to do some Arctic winter voyages in the St. Lawrence River in Canada, or in the high Scandinavian areas. When in Antarctica Charcot operates either side of the Antarctic Peninsula into the much deeper southern parts than any other vessel on the eastern coastline or the western coastline.

When on the eastern coastline we're operating in the Weddell Sea, aiming to reach the emperor penguin rookery on Snow Hill Island. We can get closer than any other passenger ship, others have to rely on shuttling guests by helicopter to reach the rookery whereas on Charcot we're able to position within walking distance.

Have you been to Snow Hill Island yourself?

I can humbly say that I was the first Ponant expedition leader to reach it and it blew my mind. We succeeded in bringing the ship in around three kilometres away from the rookery and we spent the whole day there. Guests were able to see chicks and because we were so close we could basically say the door is open, the route is open, stay as long as you want. You can come back for a rest and go back again. When there we attach to fast ice, which is sea ice attached to the land, so the trek is relatively flat and we create a trail for guests to follow.

Those fittest head out first to help compact the snow making it easier for others so it's a real team effort between guests and crew. Once at the rookery, we set up a viewing point a couple of hundred metres away but the penguins will sometimes approach us and they are also travelling to and from the sea so guests will see them easily, even from the balcony of their room!

What are the chances of seeing emperor penguins on a Ponant Snow Hill itinerary?

We've a 100% success rate for close visual of emperor penguins, and about 50% of getting to the rookery as the extension of fast ice can make the walk too far. But even if we can't reach the thousands of emperors at the rookery, we're still likely to see hundreds marching to and from it.

Any tips for those considering an Antarctic or Snow Hill trip?

Book early because the number of voyages are limited, operate once every two years and they fill early.

*due to international sanctions against Russia the 50 Years of Victory is not on sale by Mundy Adventures.