'We want to thank Patrik for his many years of service and dedication to Royal Caribbean Group,' a spokesperson said. 'His work on the Healthy Sail Panel was crucial to our comeback. We wish him the best in his future endeavors.'
A successor hasn't been decided yet.
Dahlgren was instrumental in developing the global marine operations group and helmed it as SVP for the past five years; he was VP for three years before that. The group supports safety, technical operations, fleet optimization, sustainability/carbon reduction and maintenance/dry docks across Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Silversea, TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises.
On Oasis of the Seas' helipad
Earlier roles included director, newbuild maritime, during Quantum of the Seas' development. And, before joining shoreside management, Dahlgren served as captain across a range of ships, including Oasis of the Seas and Quantum of the Seas. He'd signed on with Royal Caribbean International as a second officer in 1999 and his first command was Voyager of the Seas in 2008.
'Fantastic journey'
'It's been a fantastic journey,' Dahlgren said.
He's proud of the Healthy Sail Panel, where he was was involved in a scientific study on ventilation and airborne spread of aerosol particles, and of developing the fleet optimization group, which focuses on energy efficiency and decarbonization. A proponent of AI to harness data to help inform decisions, he recently participated in a Seatrade Cruise Global session on the topic.
Making a point on the AI panel at Seatrade Cruise Global
Dahlgren's also happy to have fostered diversity. He was instrumental in implementing Celebrity Cruises President/CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo's vision to recruit more women to maritime roles, an effort that enabled the line to announce on International Women's Day this year that 32% of its bridge officers are female.
Sustainable Development Goal 5
As part of the effort, Dahlgren partnered with World Maritime University in Malmö, Sweden, the IMO's center of excellence for postgraduate maritime education. He also worked on IMO's initiatives around Sustainable Development Goal 5, 'Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls,' part of the the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
As he pointed out in an International Labor Organization conference keynote address in Geneva, gender equality isn't just the right thing to do, it also makes business sense: 'In a sector where only 3% are women and with the enormous gap in finding qualified maritime professionals, why would you ignore 50% of the population?'
Keeping the door open
Dahlgren is now back home in Stockholm — he holds dual Swedish and US citizenship — where he's taking some time off.
'Let's see what the future holds. I love our industry,' he said. 'It's possible I'll return to the industry. I leave the door open, including to Royal Caribbean.'
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