Recently, Stella Jones and Kristina Gubrial of the CSI Audience Engagement team took to Norway to catch up with some of our VIPs from the Norwegian cruise interiors industry. First, they met with Morten Eriksen, Hotel Superintendent at Wilhelmsen Ship Management, to gain an insight into a day in the life of a CSI VIP. Read on for Morten’s exciting career journey from skilled carpenter to Hotel Superintendent and to hear more about his dynamic role in handling key ship management projects and ensuring safety on board cruise vessels.
Morten Eriksen is Hotel Superintendent at Wilhelmsen Ship Management, one of the world’s largest third-party ship managers. As Hotel Superintendent, he is often travelling in his role to meet with colleagues and collaborate with parties from across the cruise supply chain on ship management projects.
Who are Wilhelmsen Ship Management and what they do?
Founded in Norway in 1861, Wilhelmsen is now a comprehensive global maritime group providing essential products and services to the merchant fleet, along with supplying crew and technical management to the largest and most complex vessels ever to sail. In their role in shaping the maritime industry, they seek to develop new opportunities and collaborations in renewables, zero-emission shipping, and marine digitalization.
What does the role of a Hotel Superintendent at Wilhelmsen Ship Management entail?
Morten’s role varies widely from day to day. Some days he is budgeting and doing cost evaluation, whilst others he may be specifying. His role entails onboard inspections, advising on maintenance and best practices, contact for existing and alternative suppliers, and executing drydocks and projects across cruise fleets. To aid him in this, Morten often meets with suppliers, contractors, and manufacturers. This fast-moving role also includes lots of troubleshooting. Morten is passionate about this dynamic industry and loves working within such a fast-paced environment.
How did Morten venture into the cruise industry?
Morten began his career as a carpenter working for various clients from across the world. Following his studies in construction at a technical college, Morten later ventured from skilled carpenter to engineer. He entered the maritime industry working at Havyard Ship Technology AS as a Project Engineer/Executive Officer Accommodation/HVAC for offshore vessel prototypes. He then worked within various outfitting firms including Vestnes Ocean. Later, Morten joined Saga Cruises as New Build Site Superintendent – Public Areas & Cabins, where he was responsible for all inspections and approvals for Saga Spirit of Adventure. During this time, he saw the opportunity to join the cruise industry when the new building offshore market had a dip. Throughout his expansive career, Morten has worked on projects across the world in Singapore, Spain, Germany, and Norway.
In addition to his current role, Morten has been a consultant for the design, engineering, supervision, and inspections of various cruise vessels, including Ritz Carlton Yacht Collection’s Evrima and Hurtigruten’s Roald Amundsen.
What does a typical day in Morten’s role look like?
Currently, Morten is responsible for a varied workload, meaning his role is fast paced. No day is truly the same! When our CSI VIP team met with Morten, he was visiting the Oslo office to catch up with his team. Although he is not usually based in Oslo, this gives him great opportunities to catch up with his team members, including Michela Sasdelli, the Fleet Service Manager at Wilhelmsen Ship Management who he works closely with, collaborate on projects, share updates, and meet with other external stakeholders involved in his current work.
The CSI Audience Engagement Team is here to help with any product sourcing requirements of our VIP audience. You can read more about joining our events as a VIP here and learn about our year-round CSI+ community here.