By
Susan Parker |
Lars Ljoen became chief maritime officer at Carnival Corporation on 1 February 2025. He quickly began overseeing all aspects of maritime operations, destination development and the management of ports owned and operated by the corporation’s nine cruise brands.
Boasting a background in maritime operations at Royal Caribbean Group, Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises and Carnival Cruise Line (where he also added hotel operations to his remit), Ljoen brings a multitude of experience to the role. “I have a view for holistically treating all our safety, regulatory and compliance matters to take Carnival Corporation to the next step,” he says. “I believe technology will play a big part in this. I intend to build on lots of things we have started over the last several years to become a technology leader.”
To achieve this, Ljoen says he is focusing on getting “people to pull a line in one direction”, adding: “I don’t know of any industry that is more complicated than the cruise sector. It’s part of my job to simplify things, so people understand what the targets and goals are and don’t have conflicting views.”
Ljoen has already seen this approach work effectively at Carnival Cruise Line, where he was responsible for ensuring the head of guest services, the technical leads and the port operations team sat in clusters on the same floor. “Breaking down internal silos and pulling people in the same direction is the ultimate goal,” he explains.
Another aim is to implement new technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), which Ljoen “firmly believes will help us tremendously over the next 10 years”. First, however, the corporation must connect all 90-plus ships to the same database and log all the spare parts and equipment by the end of 2026. Once this is complete, Carnival Corporation can implement AI, but the technology will need to come from an outside source. “If we put bad data in, we will not get the best results,” explains Ljoen. “We are not a technology company, so we need to see what is available and use it where it makes sense.”
As the corporation’s use of digital technology increases, so will the challenges. “When we use technology to make our ships safer and more efficient, we are also connecting more systems through the network, so we must protect our assets and data against possible risks,” says Ljoen. “We are continuously optimising our cybersecurity management to swiftly thwart any potential attempts to breach our systems. It is an ongoing and daily effort.”
When it comes to the technical and regulatory environment, the number one challenge is achieving the industry’s target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. “Working out how to manage net zero is our number one priority,” says Ljoen. “The world has global targets, and the International Maritime Organization is working through what the various regulations will be. We are extremely committed to working towards the net zero target by 2050, although the technology that will make this possible is yet to be invented. We have to be good corporate citizens and drive innovation together with other shipping lines.”
AIDA Cruises’ AIDAnova was the first cruise ship in the world to fully operate using LNG fuel when it began sailing in December 2018
Carnival Corporation reached a maximum peak of absolute greenhouse gas emissions in 2011, from which it has seen an approximately 11 per cent reduction, despite capacity growth of nearly 37 per cent over the same period. In 2023, the corporation pulled forward its 2030 carbon intensity reduction goal and is now targeting a more than 20 per cent decrease in carbon intensity by the end of 2026 (compared to 2019). “I don’t think we announce and get enough credit for what we are doing,” says Ljoen. “There aren’t many industries, shoreside or at sea, that can say they actually peaked and worked things out as Carnival Corporation has done.”
Working things out includes using every technical means to lower the service load and the propulsion power. “We have ambitious plans; we are testing fuel cells and batteries, mostly with our German cruise line AIDA, which is making great progress on this front already,” says Ljoen.
The subject of future fuels is never far from mind, and Ljoen reiterates what industry colleagues and competitors say: “At the moment there is no magic solution for us. LNG is the best fuel available for carbon reduction right now. The next thing we are testing is methanol. We know we can do it but there is no green methanol available, so we don’t see it in the future road map. We are not big enough to impact the global supply of green methanol, so we will work with our suppliers and networks that would support it.”
Beyond this, the company is looking closely at experimental technology for onboard carbon capture. “It might not be 100 per cent, but it could be something that could lead to reduced carbon dioxide emissions,” says Ljoen. “The biggest carbon reduction at the moment comes from the exclusive destinations – such as Carnival Cruise Line’s Celebration Key – because their strategic locations near a variety of US homeports means we are reducing fuel usage by travelling shorter distances at slower speeds.”
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