MIAMI, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Today, Royal Caribbean Group (NYSE: RCL) named Palle Laursen as executive vice president, head of marine, effective May 1, 2023. Laursen will report to Royal Caribbean Group’s President and CEO Jason Liberty and will join the company’s Executive Committee.
With this newly created position, the company will centralize its global and brand marine operations functions under Laursen. He will oversee all marine operations for the company’s entire fleet, as well as strategic oversight of marine operations of its TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, of which it’s a 50% joint-venture owner.
“It is with great pleasure that we welcome Palle Laursen to the Royal Caribbean Group,” said Jason Liberty, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean Group. “Palle has had a long and distinguished career with Maersk and is a recognized leader in the maritime industry. With more than 25 years of experience, his direct technical and operational knowledge will serve our company well, especially as we continually work to decarbonize our business.”
Most recently, Laursen served as chief fleet and technical officer at A.P. Moller – Maersk and was responsible for its entire fleet of more than 750 container vessels, 400 chartered vessels and 350 owned vessels as well as chartering, technical management, crew management, safety and compliance, newbuilding activities and engineering services. He also led Maersk’s effort to have the entire fleet operating fully carbon neutral by 2040.
Having joined the Maersk Group in early 1998, Laursen has spent his entire professional career at the Danish shipping company. Previously, he was vice president and head of Ship Management and also held several other roles with increasing responsibilities, including head of technical services, ship engineering and technical vessel operations.
“This is an exciting time for the Royal Caribbean Group, and I very much look forward to helping the company deliver the best vacations in the world, responsibly,” said Palle Laursen. “I look forward to joining the most innovative team in the industry at Royal Caribbean Group and lead the marine team alongside a team committed to operational excellence, and environmental stewardship.”
Laursen graduated from the Svendborg International Maritime Academy in Denmark as a marine engineer and has since completed several executive and leadership development programs.
About Royal Caribbean Group
Royal Caribbean Group (NYSE: RCL) is one of the leading cruise companies in the world with a global fleet of 64 ships traveling to approximately 1,000 destinations around the world. Royal Caribbean Group is the owner and operator of three award winning cruise brands: Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises and it is also a 50% owner of a joint venture that operates TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises. Together, the brands have an additional 10 ships on order as of December 31, 2022. Learn more at www.royalcaribbeangroup.com or www.rclinvestor.com.
