Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen, founder of Royal Caribbean Cruises died on Saturday, April 11, 2020, in Palma, Spain, at 90-years old. Wilhelmsen was born in Oslo, 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. Wilhelmsen served on the company’s Board of Directors for more than three decades. Royal Caribbean Cruise operates Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Azamara and Silversea Cruises. It is 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.
