The French luxury cruise travel company PONANT has cancelled a Le Commandant Charcot ship charter that had been arranged for a group of 150 Russian passengers.
The decision followed the arrest in the USA 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 PONANT 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, PONANT has not refunded US$5.8 million after the cancellation of the charter.
The France-flagged PONANT has a fleet of 13 vessels and is owned by the Pinault family, who also control the fashion group Kering, parent to brands such as Gucci and Saint Laurent.
The canceled 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.