Page 19: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (October 2025)

CARSTEN LUND, SUNSTONE MARITIME GROUP appointed CEO, nothing much changed from Monday to

Tuesday,” Carsten says. “The leadership had already been in our hands for some time. It was a natural step.”

SunStone at 35: From Cruise Management to Expedition Specialists

SunStone’s story begins in Miami in 1990, when Niels-Erik

Lund founded the company with a vision to charter out cruise ships. By the late 1990s, SunStone was managing 22 ships, making it the largest independent passenger ship manager in the market.

But in 2003, the company pivoted strategically toward ex- pedition cruising—a decision that would de? ne its identity for decades to come. Its ? rst two expedition ships were acquired in 2004, and by 2015 the ? eet had grown to a dozen vessels, all secondhand acquisitions.

In 2012, another key decision reshaped the company’s fo- cus: SunStone stepped away from third-party management to concentrate solely on its owned ? eet. Five years later, the company launched its ? rst-ever newbuild program, the In? n- ity-class vessels, which today form the backbone of its ? eet.

Headquartered in Denmark but with enduring roots in Mi- ami, SunStone remains true to its model as a tonnage provider — owning, crewing, and maintaining expedition cruise ships while chartering them out long-term to operators. “We’re not a cruise line,” Carsten emphasizes. “We don’t sell tickets. We provide the ships and the crew, so our clients can focus on the

Image credit Fiona Wardle Aurora Expeditions passenger experience.” our clients.”

Built with advanced safety, fuel ef? ciency, and green tech-

Renewing the Fleet

Fleet renewal has been central to the company’s strategy in nologies, the In? nity-class vessels embody SunStone’s philos- recent years. Today, SunStone operates nine ships, ? ve In? ni- ophy of long-term planning and client-focused customization.

ty-class newbuilds and four older vessels retained from earlier

Boundless-Class: The Next Chapter acquisitions. “We’ve worked hard to lower the average age of the ? eet from 30 years to 17,” Carsten says. “That’s a sig- Even before Douglas Mawson joins the ? eet, SunStone is ni? cant improvement, and we’ll continue to renew with more preparing its next series: the Boundless-class.

newbuilds while retiring older tonnage.” “The Boundless is built on the success of the In? nity, but in

The company sold two aging ships over the past 18 months a slightly larger package,” Carsten explains. At 125 meters in for recycling, and further retirements are expected. Still, Carsten length compared to the In? nity’s 104, the new class will ac- notes that select older vessels remain competitive thanks to up- commodate 200–300 passengers in standard layouts, or fewer grades such as modern engines and ef? cient designs. “It’s about in more luxurious con? gurations.

striking a balance—keeping vessels that are relevant in today’s Key features will include safe-return-to-port systems, zero- market while positioning ourselves for the future.” speed stabilizers, virtual anchoring, and a suite of fuel ef? - ciency and sustainability measures. Flexibility will be a hall- mark: while the ships will share identical technical platforms

In? nity-Class: A Milestone Program

The crown jewel of SunStone’s ? eet renewal has been the below the waterline, their superstructures and interiors will be

In? nity-class program, a seven-ship newbuild series launched tailored in collaboration with clients.

in 2017. The ? rst vessel delivered in 2019, followed by two in “Everything below the waterline will be the same, but 2021, two more in 2022, and another in 2023. The ? nal ship of above, they could look very different,” Carsten notes. “That the series, Douglas Mawson, was delivered in September 2025. allows us to offer clients real ? exibility while maintaining ef- “These vessels have been a tremendous success,” Carsten ? ciencies of series construction.” says. “They’ve allowed us to cut the ? eet’s average age in half Discussions with shipyards are in the ? nal stages, with a and bring state-of-the-art expedition ships into service with contract expected by year-end. The ? rst Boundless-class vessel www.marinelink.com 19

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