Ceres' Wilkin Mes joins Princess Cruises in VP role

Mes spent the past three years at Ceres Terminals, most recently as SVP cruise strategy development, with accomplishments including helping to develop Royal Caribbean International/Ceres' new Terminal 10 at the Port of Galveston. He also improved the company’s business processes and marketability of their stevedoring and terminal management services and developed plans for a multifaceted cruise services platform.

Holland America Line origins

Mes began his maritime career with Holland America Line as a deck officer and transferred to the company’s shoreside offices in Seattle as manager of human resources, responsible for the planning and scheduling of the fleet’s deck and engine officers. He also held roles in marine operations and itinerary planning at Holland America Line.

Los Angeles and Long Beach experience

He then moved to Metro Cruise Services, working in a variety of roles including regional manager for Southern California, overseeing cruise stevedoring and management of terminal facilities in Los Angeles, and was part of the team responsible for to handle larger cruise vessels. These improvements garnered the recognition of Princess Cruises which named Los Angeles as its Port of the Year.

Mes later joined Carnival Cruise Line where he had day-to-day oversight of the Long Beach Cruise Terminal as well as Carnival's national stevedoring contracts. As director of the Long Beach Terminal, he oversaw a significant expansion of the facility that improved operating efficiency and enabled calls by the company's largest ships. 

Collaborative and solutions-oriented

'We’re delighted that someone of Wilkin’s caliber has joined the Princess Cruises maritime organization,' said Stefano Borzone, SVP global port operations and development. 'His wide-ranging experience, combined with his collaborative and solutions-oriented approach, will be instrumental in implementing key operational strategies and associated initiatives going forward.'