In the news release, Arne
Wilhelmsen, a founder of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., dies
at 90, issued 11-Apr-2020 by Royal
Caribbean Cruises Ltd. over PR Newswire, we are advised by the
company that the 1st paragraph, 1st sentence, should read
"Arne Wilhelmsen, a founder of Royal
Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE: RCL) and a visionary strategist of
the modern cruise industry, died Saturday,
April 11, 2020, in Palma, Spain." rather than "Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen, a founder of Royal
Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE: RCL) and a visionary strategist of
the modern cruise industry, died Saturday,
April 11, 2020, in Palma, Spain." as originally issued inadvertently.
The complete, corrected release follows:
Arne Wilhelmsen, a founder of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., dies at
90
MIAMI, April 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Arne Wilhelmsen, a founder of Royal Caribbean
Cruises Ltd. (NYSE: RCL) and a visionary strategist of the modern
cruise industry, died Saturday, April 11,
2020, in Palma, Spain. He
was 90. The entire Royal Caribbean family extends its
heartfelt condolences to the Wilhelmsen family.
Wilhelmsen was a constant influence on the company from its
founding, serving more than three decades on the company's board of
directors. Together with the company's first CEO, the late
Edwin Stephan, Wilhelmsen saw
possibilities for the nascent cruise industry that others did
not.
"At a time when the rest of the world thought cruising was a
niche use for old transatlantic liners, Arne was already seeing
glimmers of the growth that was possible," said Richard Fain, RCL's chairman and CEO. "He had a
vision of the modern cruise industry when the 'industry' might have
been a dozen used ships, total."
Their key insight: building new ships uniquely designed for
cruising in warm weather. The industry did not grow from
New York, the traditional transit
hub; it came to Miami, helping the
region itself grow as the public discovered an entirely new way to
take a vacation.
Wilhelmsen saw the potential for cruising to become the fastest
growing segment in a growing vacation industry. A believer in
economies of scale, he once recalled, "My initial challenge was to
convince my partners and management in Miami to build bigger and more efficient ships
in order to grow the company." True to his vision, the
company now sails 61 ships calling on all seven continents and its
fleet features the largest cruise ships in the world.
Born on June 15, 1929, in
Oslo, Norway, Wilhelmsen earned
his MBA at Harvard Business School and
worked as a chartering assistant for Norway's EB Lund & Co. and later as a
shipbroker in New York. After
joining the family business in 1954, he became its president in
1961. The scion of a leading Norwegian shipping concern –
Anders Wilhelmsen & Co AS – he
spent most of his life in the family business, including an early
stint as a deckhand.
"Arne was a steady presence and source of wisdom on our board
for decades," Fain said. "And in 2003, when he was ready to step
back, he was succeeded on the RCL board by his son, Alex, who has
carried the involvement of the Wilhelmsen family in charting our
company's course into its sixth decade. Our high standards as a
company, our insistence on excellence in operations and design, and
our determination to persevere all owe a great deal to the
long-term vision of Arne, Alex and the Wilhelmsen family. We
salute our friend, and we will miss him dearly."
About Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Royal Caribbean
Cruises Ltd. (NYSE: RCL) is a global cruise vacation company that
controls and operates four global brands: Royal Caribbean
International, Celebrity Cruises, Azamara and Silversea Cruises. We
are also a 50% joint venture owner of the German brand TUI Cruises
and a 49% shareholder in the Spanish brand Pullmantur Cruceros.
Together these brands operate a combined total of 61 ships with an
additional 17 on order as of December 31,
2019. They operate diverse itineraries around the world that
call on all seven continents. Additional information can be found
on www.royalcaribbean.com, www.celebritycruises.com,
www.azamara.com, www.silversea.com, www.tuicruises.com,
www.pullmantur.es, or www.rclinvestor.com.
Logo:
https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/677715/RCL_Logo.jpg