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He was heavily involved in the launch of the cruise giant Royal Caribbean Cruises.
Shipowner Arne Wilhelmsen, here from a celebration of the 60th anniversary of the shipping company Anders Wilhelmsen & Co in 2000.
Ingar Storfjell / Grete de Lange
published:,
The death is confirmed by the Royal Caribbean Cruises cruise line on Sunday morning.
Wilhelmsen died on Saturday April 11 in the Spanish city of Palma. He turned 90 years old.
He was the son of the shipowner Anders Wilhelmsen, who in 1939 founded the Anders Wilhelmsen & Co shipping company, which is now called Awilhelmsen. Arne joined the company in 1954 and worked at the Group all his working life.
In 1961, Arne Wilhelmsen became CEO of the family business. He sat on the company’s board with his brother Gjert until they both left in the summer of 2012. At that time, his son Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen took over as chairman of the board.
adventure cruise
He was one of the initiators of the launch of Royal Caribbean Cruises in 1968. The cruise company, which today is one of the largest in the world, was established by Anders Wilhelmsens Rederi AS, I.M. Skaugens Rederi AS and Gotaas-Larsen AS.
– At a time when the rest of the world thought that cruises were a niche for old transatlantic ships, Arne was already glimpsing the growth that was possible. He had a glimpse of the modern cruise industry, as the entire “industry” could have consisted of a dozen ships in all, Royal Caribbean Cruises President and CEO Richard Fain said in a statement.
Wilhelmsen sat on the board of the cruise line until 2003, when the son took over as a board member.
– Arne had a constant presence and was a source of wisdom on our board for decades. And in 2003, when he was ready to retire, he was followed by his son, Alex, who carried the Wilhelmsen family’s dedication forward by leading our company into its sixth decade, Fain says.
The order of Saint Olav
In addition to cruise operations, the Awilhelmsen Group has also been an active owner over the years in both the oil services industry and real estate. At the beginning of the millennium, the group was redefined from a shipping company to an investment company.
In 2005, Arne Wilhelmsen was appointed commander of the Order of Saint Olav, for his community service.
In addition to shipping operations, Wilhelmsen has held private and public positions throughout his life. He has served on the Bærum municipal council for the right, and has been on the main councils of the Nordic Shipowners Association and the Norwegian Shipowners Association, according to Store Norske Leeksikon.
In an earlier version of this case, Arne Wilhelmsen was referred to as Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen.
