PONANT aims to achieve the highest sustainability standards

PONANT offers exploration voyages to the planet’s most remote, hidden, and exotic destinations, such as Antarctica and Papua New Guinea. With frequent visits to environmentally sensitive areas, PONANT fleets are designed with the highest standards to safeguard the ecosystems that compose the areas and the communities in them. All the ships in the PONANT fleet carry the Bureau Veritas CLEANSHIP certification label, which attests to reduced environmental impact.

The focus on sustainability sets the standard also for PONANT’s suppliers. Evac has equipped the last six PONANT expedition ships; Le Champlain, Le Lapérouse, Le Bougainville, Le Dumont-d’Urville, Le Bellot, Le Jacques-Cartier, and the world’s only luxury icebreaker Le Commandant Charcot, as well as the sailing ships Le Ponant and the m/s Paul Gauguin with its waste-, water and wastewater systems.

With the fully integrated solution for water and waste management, Evac can support our aspirations of minimizing our environmental footprint. The service agreement further enhances our collaboration and makes it possible for us to lean on Evac’s expertise in keeping our systems running.

Julien FIESCHI, Fleet Director, PONANT

A shared focus on sustainability

Evac and PONANT share a high ambition to minimize their environmental footprint. Both companies are following their sustainability programs guiding their operations and optimizing their environmental performance.

Evac has provided the PONANT ships with a complete water and waste management solution that treats all waste streams onboard. The total solution includes vacuum collection systems for sanitary waste, dry, wet- and food waste management systems, as well as solutions for advanced wastewater treatment and freshwater generation.

In the galleys, vacuum feeding units enable an efficient and hygienic collection of food waste. At the same time, the recycling rate of the ships is increased by utilizing efficient material recovery equipment.

The advanced wastewater treatment plant treats all generated black and grey water onboard, offering excellent treatment results. Evac MBR filters out nutrients and up to 99% of microplastic particles from the wastewater.

Whilst at sea, the cruise ships will be able to generate their own fresh water through the provision of Evac ROSYS reverse osmosis desalinators.

Service agreement provides a piece of mind

The recently signed service agreement provides PONANT with a full-scale support from Evac. Evac systems are critical to ships’ operations. Therefore, minimizing downtime, providing regular, proactive maintenance and optimization, crew training, and support in compliance with rules and regulations throughout the system lifecycle is crucial for smooth operations onboard.

“With the fully integrated solution for water and waste management, Evac can support our aspirations of minimizing our environmental footprint. The service agreement further enhances our collaboration and makes it possible for us to lean on Evac’s expertise in keeping our systems running,” says Julien Fieschi, Fleet Director from PONANT.

Evac’s advanced water and waste management solution makes it possible to collect waste with minimal energy and water consumption. The effluent quality of the treated wastewater is so good that the water can even be reused or further processed onboard the ships. Recyclable waste is handled in a way that is safe, environmentally friendly, and energy-efficient, and not only reducing waste volumes but also advancing the circular economy.

PONANT’s and Evac’s close collaboration is an excellent example of how we can strive together for a future with no waste.