Breaking the ice with Champagne: the ecocidal luxury cruises to Antarctica
French luxury cruise ship firm Compagnie du Ponant, owned by billionaire François Pinault, operates five-star voyages to Antarctica, notably on its state-of-the-art, ice-breaking liner, Le Commandant Charcot. The cruises are advertised as environmentally responsible, with onboard conferences by naturalists to educate the passengers on the habitat of the Earth’s last virgin continent. In fact, the boats, registered in a French tax-friendly overseas territory, are highly polluting, and the increasingly popular tourist traffic to the Antarctic region is contributing to the alarming rate of melting of its ice sheet. Mickaël Correia reports.
OnOn the website of French luxury cruise ship operator Compagnie du Ponant, alongside photos of immaculate ice floes and plush passenger suites, it declares: “The white paradise welcomes you within its sanctuary. Reach the ultimate in a polar odyssey that is conscious and respectful of the environment.”
