Page 38: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (March 2019)

CRUISE SHIPPING • LINDBLAD EXPEDITIONS

Built to Explore

A cruise industry veteran of more than 25 years, Nikolaos Doulis, Lindblad

Expeditions’ SVP, New Buildings, discusses with Maritime Reporter & Engineering

News the build plan for “the best expedition cruise ship ever built.”

By Greg Trauthwein

Born in Greece to a seafaring family, BA in Marine Engineering, his father’s cessful career with Celebrity Cruises, he Enter Lindblad Expeditions.

Nikolaos Doulis was destined for a mari- shipping company Pyrgi Chios Shipping felt there was something missing. For “When the opportunity came about time career. His father was a ship captain Co. – which at its height owned 16 ships, starters, Celebrity Cruises was a part with Lindblad, I moved to Seattle and and eventually a ship owner, and to sup- including bulk carriers and ferries – had of the Royal Caribbean company, but it what I found most exciting was the port the family business he wanted his gone out of business due to the ? nancial did not grow and expand like the other chance to work with Sven Lindblad; he’s son to have an engineering education. So crisis. His father returned to sea as a cap- brands. “Celebrity has a great technical one of the best bosses I’ve ever had and at the age of 14, Doulis started spending tain and Doulis, who always had a fasci- team, but Celebrity was … at the time … one of the most well-travelled people on more time in and around ships, in work- nation with the passenger vessel indus- ‘the poor brother of Royal Caribbean;’ Earth,” said Doulis. “This gave to me the shops, learning the technical ins and outs try courtesy of summer jobs working on we did not expand like Royal Caribbe- opportunity to learn the expedition cruise of ship machinery and systems. cruise ships, joined Celebrity Cruises in an,” said Doulis. business even better with Sven and the “This was the best thing to happen 1993 working as an apprentice on ships. “I saw that we were starting to lose amazing team at Lindblad. Lindblad is for my career, because I learned how to Doulis work ethic and technical acu- good talent because we weren’t grow- the best in the expedition business.” work,” said Doulis, who today serves as men was evident early on, and his career ing and offering new opportunities.” As SVP in charge of newbuilding, his

Senior Vice President, New Buildings, accelerated. By the age of 30 he had be- Eventually Doulis was a driving force mission is clear: “I am responsible for

Lindblad Expeditions, the Norwegian- come Celebrity Cruises’ youngest ship in launching several of the company’s the newbuilding program of the compa- based expedition cruise pioneer. manager, and by the time he left Celeb- specialty cruise operations, including ny.” Today Lindblad Expeditions owns

While his father’s family business rity Cruises in 2017 to join Lindblad Ex- Celebrity expedition, Azamara Cruises eight vessels and charters several more, was the impetus for his technical career, peditions, he was the Director of Fleet and TUI Cruises. “One of the things with one newbuilding in the works for by the time he graduated Aspropyrgos Operations. that excited me most was the expedition delivery in early 2020. Lindblad Expedi-

Maritime Academy in Greece with a While Doulis enjoyed a long and suc- cruising,” he said. tions in fact has two ? eets, the Ameri- 38 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • MARCH 2019

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