Recommendation 197

The central Arctic Ocean remains one of the remotest parts of the Arctic, but Mr Burgess told us that improvements in commercial ice-breaker technology have opened it for the first time to tourism. We heard that in the summer of 2021 the first purpose-built tourist ship, Le Commandant Charcot reached the North Pole. The boat has a higher polar classification, PC-2, and is a stronger icebreaker than many state-owned research vessels. 226 Although the number of sailings is very limited and, at a cost of £35,000+ per person, this is not mass tourism, it illustrates how technology advancements can make the most remote parts of the Arctic accessible. Prospects for transit shipping in the Arctic