For
the first time in its nearly 20-year history, a female captain is at
the helm of a Silversea ship.
Ultra-luxury Silversea
Cruises, which operates a fleet of six ships, has promoted Margrith
Ettlin to the position of captain. A Swiss national with extensive
maritime experience in remote regions, including the Arctic and
Antarctica, Captain Ettlin assumed control of the
132-guest expedition
ship Silver Explorer on
August 7 in Reykjavik. Her first tour of duty as captain will extend
into October.
“We’re
very pleased and proud to extend this promotion to Captain
Ettlin,” said Christian Sauleau, Silversea’s executive vice
president of fleet operations. ”Although we’re not the
first cruise
company to
have a female captain, we hope Captain Ettlin’s achievement will
inspire other women to pursue careers at sea.”
Prior
to joining Silversea as a staff captain in March 2010, Captain Ettlin
worked for Germany’s F. Laeisz shipping group. Her maritime career
also includes nearly nine years as a staff captain with the
German shipping company Hapag Lloyd.