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Rich Pruitt and Gerry Ellis have left Royal Caribbean

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Gerry Ellis, left, and Rich Pruitt
Two well-known and highly respected executives, Rich Pruitt and Gerry Ellis, are no longer with Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. after what is understood to be a departmental reorganization.

The department is led by former long-time FBI veteran Jennifer Love, who took over as svp safety, security, environment and medical/public health when Gary Bald retired early this year.

Pruitt, vp safety and environmental stewardship, had been with Royal Caribbean nearly 14 years, and Gerry Ellis, director, maritime safety and compliance, since May 2013.

'We are thankful for everything they did for Royal Caribbean during their time here, and wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors,' a company spokeswoman told Seatrade Cruise News. She said a search is under way for their replacements.

Pruitt is prominent in industry environmental and safety matters. He chaired both the maritime safety and environmental protection committees for Cruise Lines International Association and represented the industry and Royal Caribbean at the International Maritime Organization and the European Commission's regulatory working groups as well as on numerous environmental panels.

Pruitt also served on many councils and advisory boards, including the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Sanctuaries Business Advisory Council and the North American Marine Environment Protection Association. He spent more than five years on the executive committee of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators.

Pruitt joined Royal Caribbean after retiring from the US Coast Guard, where he had run the Control Verification Examination School that teaches USCG inspectors and other governmental agency representatives how to inspect cruise ships.

Ellis, who reported to Pruitt, was responsible for the maritime safety standards of all the corporation's ships, including those of Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Azamara Club Cruises, Pullmantur, CDF Croisières de France, TUI Cruises and SkySea Cruises. He also chaired cross-branded working groups and led an internal investigation team tasked with finding the root causes of ship accidents and incidents.

Before Royal Caribbean, Ellis spent five years with Seabourn, ultimately as vp marine and technical operations. Earlier, he was director, port development, for Carnival Corp. & plc. A captain, Ellis started at sea as a cadet and had a long stint with Cunard, first on the ships and then shoreside, ultimately as director of newbuilds, including Queen Mary 2.