Lis Lauritzen is a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports-of-call, where passengers may go on tours known as "s ...

Captain for

Royal Caribbean International Royal Caribbean International (RCI), also formerly known as Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (RCCL), is a cruise line brand founded in 1968 in Norway and organised as a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Group since 1997. Based in Miami, Flori ...

. She previously worked in the

cargo ship A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. Cargo ships are usu ...

industry. Lauritzen was born in 1971 in Denmark, to a Japanese mother and a Danish father. Her father had been a sailor for

Maersk Line Maersk Line or Maersk SeaLand is a Danish international container shipping company and the largest operating subsidiary of the Maersk Group, a Danish business conglomerate. Founded in 1928, it is the world's largest container shipping company by ...

, but gave up that career when Lauritzen and his daughters were born. His stories inspired Lauritzen to pursue a maritime based career. She attended a navigation school in

Fanø Fanø () is a Danish island in the North Sea off the coast of southwestern Denmark, and is the very northernmost of the Danish Wadden Sea Islands. Fanø municipality is the municipality ( Danish, '' kommune'') that covers the island and its sea ...

, Denmark.

Career

Lauritzen's first role on board a ship was while working for J. Lauritzen A/S in June 1989 as a junior seaman. She worked on the gas tanker ''Kosan'' for seven months. Afterwards, Lauritzen worked on ships in South America and on the Danish

Great Belt ferries The Great Belt ferries ( da, Storebæltsfærgerne) were the train and car ferries operating across the Danish strait of Great Belt, between the islands of Zealand and Funen. The railway ferry link was established in 1883, while automobile-only ferr ...

. After ten years in the industry, she had completed her Master Mariner certificate and was looking for a fresh challenge. She joined

as first officer on ''

Grandeur of the Seas ''Grandeur of the Seas'' is a Vision-class cruise ship owned and operated by Royal Caribbean International. Features include a full-service spa, six whirlpools, an outdoor jogging track and a number of bars and restaurants. It was announced on 1 ...

'' in November 1998. Laurtizen served in this capacity on several Royal Caribbean cruise ships, including ''

Explorer of the Seas ''Explorer of the Seas'' is a owned and operated by Royal Caribbean International, completed in 2000. She can accommodate over 3,000 guests, including scientists making use of a built-in atmospheric and oceanographic laboratory operated by the U ...

'', '' Radiance of the Seas'', ''

Monarch of the Seas MS ''Monarch'' (formerly ''Monarch of the Seas'') was the second of three s owned by Royal Caribbean International. Beginning on April 1, 2013, ''Monarch'' was operated by RCCL's Pullmantur Cruises, before being sold for scrap in 2020 following th ...

'', and ''

Jewel of the Seas GTS ''Jewel of the Seas'' is a operated by Royal Caribbean. The ship was completed in the spring of 2004 with her maiden voyage in May of that year. History ''Jewel of the Seas'' initially operated cruises from Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy, t ...

''. Her first command came as a Relief Captain on ''Jewel of the Seas'' in 2008, a position she also undertook on ''Radiance of the Seas''. Lauritzen was named Captain of ''

Vision of the Seas ''Vision of the Seas'' is a Vision-class cruise ship, Vision-class cruise ship operated by Royal Caribbean International, the last of her class. Her maiden voyage was on May 2, 1998, following which she sailed for a year in Europe before being ...

'' on 10 August 2011. This made her the second ever female Captain for Royal Caribbean International, after

Karin Stahre-Janson Karin Stahre-Janson is a Swedish cruise ship captain. When she became the commanding officer of ''Monarch of the Seas'' in 2007, it was the first time that a woman had been in command of a "mega" cruise ship. She has also been placed in command o ...

who was named Captain of ''Monarch of the Seas'' in 2007. At the time of her promotion, Lauritzen was one of four female cruise ship captains then employed. She has since been made Captain for ''Jewel of the Seas''. When not at sea, Lauritzen lives in Portugal.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lauritzen, Lis 1971 births Living people Sea captains Female sailors Danish sailors Danish people of Japanese descent Danish expatriates in Portugal Danish female sailors (sport)