Ponant Explorations eyes China for future sustainable cruise ships

Ponant Explorations, a French cruise operator specializing in polar expeditions, will provide services to over 3,200 Chinese guests in 2025 and is looking for opportunities to build its next generation cruise ships in China, its senior executives said.

While Herve Gastinel, the group's CEO and chief sustainability officer, said most of its vessels have traditionally been built in Europe, he also pointed to a rising trend of passenger ship construction in China.

Headquartered in Marseille, France, Ponant Explorations is exploring cooperation with Chinese partners to address its future needs, which include sustainable shipbuilding, advanced onboard technologies, dual-fuel and next-generation fuel solutions, as well as smart monitoring systems designed to optimize energy usage.

"We are also studying the potential of hydrogen and fuel cell applications," Gastinel said, noting that Chinese engineers are at the forefront of innovation in these fields.

The company considers vessels carrying around 150 passengers as the "ideal size", according to Gastinel, ensuring a more personalized travel experience compared to mass-market cruise liners that carry thousands of people.

Ponant Explorations remains committed to operating smaller, specialized vessels — from icebreakers to yachts; designed for unique destinations — a strategy it plans to bring to the Chinese market, Gastinel added.

Established in 1988, the French company currently operates 21 ships serving more than 120 destinations worldwide, from Antarctica to the North Pole.

As luxury travel in China shifts from shopping and sightseeing to more personalized journeys, Gastinel said the company will enhance onboard services for Chinese travelers with a Mandarin-speaking expedition team and customized services.

While Ponant Explorations focuses on more remote destinations, rather than short-haul cruises near China, Gastinel said that the upcoming routes starting in December — China Eastern Airlines' flights from Shanghai to Buenos Aires, Argentina via Auckland and China Southern Airlines' service from Guangzhou, Guangdong province, to Darwin, Australia — will make long-haul expeditions "more acceptable" by reducing travel times and simplifying transfers.

Highlighting the growing role of Chinese shipyards in producing dual-fuel and hybrid electric vessels, Mathieu Petiteau, Ponant Explorations' director of new building, research and development, said the company is confident that sustainable ships can be built in China by combining local engineering strengths with its own expertise in wind propulsion and energy efficiency.

"We see real interest from Chinese partners in learning from our experience to develop new vessel concepts," he said.

The company is due to announce its chosen shipyard — either in China, France, Italy or Norway — in 2026.