A first for the city: starting in winter 2027, Ponant Explorations Group will add Montreal to its winter cruise itinerary on the St. Lawrence River. The announcement was made on October 21 during the first cruise forum organized by Croisières Montréal, at the Port of Montreal’s Grand Quay, attended by stakeholders and partners from the local tourism, port, institutional, and economic ecosystems.
First launched by French-based Ponant in January 2025, winter cruises on the St. Lawrence River will further expand their offering in winter 2027 with the addition of Montreal as a port of embarkation and disembarkation. Aboard the Le Commandant Charcot, the proposed 15-day circuit will connect Quebec City, Saguenay, Gaspé and Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon around to Corner Brook, the Strait of Belle Isle and Sept-Îles, offering winter landscapes, wildlife viewing, culture, ice fishing, snowshoeing, skiing and Greater Montreal to explore.
The first cruise will depart from Montreal on February 13 and the second on February 27. The ship will then leave the St. Lawrence River on March 13, bound for Nuuk, Greenland.
Built in 2021, Le Commandant Charcot is the only hybrid-electric polar exploration vessel powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG). Its sustainable features include the use of recycled energy from the propulsion system to heat certain components; the elimination of single-use plastics, a battery bank that enables silent electric navigation in protected areas, ecosystem-friendly disembarkation protocols, and an icebreaker capability to ensure safe navigation in polar regions while also conserving coastal ice.
(Photo from Ponant Explorations)