The French-flagged luxury cruise line PONANT has cancelled a charter of Le Commandant Charcot that had been arranged for a group of 150 Russian passengers. The decision followed the arrest in the United States of Iurii Gugnin, a Russian cryptocurrency entrepreneur whose Delaware-registered company, Evita Investments, was serving as the payments broker for the transaction. Reports indicate that Gugnin’s role in processing the charter payments had been acknowledged by both the cruise line and the chartering agency.
According to a detailed account published by the Financial Times, the Dubai-based Russian-owned agency TRVL, which arranged the voyage, has since filed a lawsuit against PONANT. The agency has alleged that while the full charter cost amounted to US$8.5 million, the line has not refunded US$5.8 million after the cancellation of the trip.
PONANT, operating under the French flag, maintains a fleet of 13 small luxury vessels. The company is owned by the Pinault family, who also control the fashion group Kering, parent to brands such as Gucci and Saint Laurent.
The cancelled voyage had been described as an exclusive polar expedition, and the unraveling of the arrangement underscores the complex intersection of high-value charters, international finance, and regulatory enforcement that increasingly influences the luxury cruise sector.