Maersk’s Palle Laursen obviously wants a bit more of a comfortable life in the twilight years of his career going by the latest announcement from Royal Caribbean Group.
The 25-year veteran of the Danish behemoth is quitting the container ship sector for the decidedly sexier and more exotic cruise industry.
He has just been appointed as head of marine at the US-listed cruise giant, a post he is due to take up on 1 May 2023.
Reports recently began circulating in the Danish media that he was set to leave Maersk, but the identity of his destination was then unknown.
So, no more trips to the likes of Ulsan in South Korea to check out Maersk’s newbuildings or Chinese repair yards to oversee the drydocking of the Maersk fleet.
Instead, he will now find himself in Miami, the Bahamas and the south of France. Those shipboard visits will also certainly be an improvement.
Laursen’s new job is a newly created position, with Royal Caribbean centralising its global and brand marine operations functions under him.
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 is a 50% joint-venture owner.
Most recently, Laursen served as chief fleet and technical officer at AP 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 fully carbon-neutral by 2040.
Laursen recently celebrated his 25th anniversary at the Maersk Group having joined the company in early 1998 fresh out of the maritime academy in Svendborg.
“When I started my career as a marine engineer onboard the big blue container vessels, I had never imagined that 25 years later I would be in charge of the whole fleet,” he recently posted on LinkedIn.
“I am deeply grateful for the many opportunities I have been given throughout the years, and I have truly enjoyed every single one of my roles with Maersk.
“Over the years I have also had the pleasure and the privilege of working with a lot of great people — people who have inspired me, challenged me and made me a better person and a better leader,” he added.
