Royal Caribbean names Maersk veteran as head of marine

Written by Nick Blenkey
Palle Laursen comes to Royal Caribbean after a long career with Maersk

Palle Laursen comes to Royal Caribbean after a long career with Maersk

Royal Caribbean Group (NYSE: RCL) has 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 the marine operations of TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, in which Royal Caribbean is a 50% joint-venture owner.

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 giant. 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.

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.”

“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 (SIMAC) in Denmark as a marine engineer and has since completed several executive and leadership development programs.

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