March 4, 2025 • 41 mins
In this episode of Cruise Pioneers, host Birgit Liodden is joined by Sophie Galvagnon, serial entrepreneur, polar captain, CEO of Selar Polar Expeditions—the first Arctic expedition cruise line founded by a woman.
Sophie shares her remarkable journey from being the youngest captain decorated with the French maritime merits to pioneering a new, sustainable way to explore the Arctic. She discusses the challenges and triumphs of leading an expedition cruise company with a strong environmental and social mission, emphasising the importance of diversity, innovation, and responsible tourism.
Join us as we navigate the evolving landscape of the cruise industry through Sophie’s eyes, exploring how bold leadership and forward-thinking solutions can drive meaningful change in some of the world’s most fragile ecosystems.
Tune in for an inspiring conversation about breaking barriers, redefining adventure, and shaping the future of sustainable Arctic expeditions.
Mentioned in this episode:
TOOL's Cruise Innovators
Explore a world of Cruise Innovators, and nominate your favorite startup! community.toolspawn.com For Seatrade Global 40th anniversary in 2025, we will also prepare the very first edition of TOOL´s Cruise Innovators - a global overview of startups & innovators with enabling solutions for cruise. Welcome onboard our voyage into the future - and join the wave! Sign up today - community.toolspawn.com
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
>> Birgit Liodden (00:01):
Welcome to the Cruise Pioneers podcast by
tool, hosted on, Seatrade Cruise Talks
Podcasts.
Hello, I'm Birgit Liodin, Sustainability ambassador
of Seatrade Trade and founder of the Ocean Opportunity
Lab. In this new series we will dive into the
pioneering initiatives of cruise lines and entrepreneurs
(00:22):
who move and change the cruise industry. We focus
on real life frontrunner initiatives and power
couples enabling crews to move
from pollution to solution. Get on board our
shared expedition as we get behind the scenes
and explore how owners, founders and
top executives move from vision to
(00:42):
deployment. In today's episode, we
dive in with Sophie Galvanon,
serial entrepreneur and polar captain.
Sophie is the CEO and co founder of Cellar
Expeditions, the first Arctic expedition cruise
line. Fueled by nature and founded
by a woman. Sophie is a maritime
(01:02):
explorer and entrepreneur. She's renowned as the
youngest captain, decorated with the French maritime
merits and with a decade of experience
navigating the challenging waters over the Arctic,
she has established herself as the first
French woman officer, an icebreaker,
an ice pilot and captain of different
polar expedition ships. Welcome
(01:24):
Sophie and I'm so excited to celebrate
the International Women's Week and have you
joining, sharing your voyage and your
experiences with our audience.
>> Sophie Galvanon (01:35):
Thank you Birgit, thank you for inviting me. I'm
excited too and happy to share any type
of stories, whether it's on the field side or on
the managing side.
>> Birgit Liodden (01:45):
And Sophie, let's start with your pioneer
commitment because in this podcast
we ask all of our guests to introduce, you
know, their high level targets for an emission
free and waste free cruise industry and building
the competitive edge for what we call
a future proof industry. And I'm so
(02:05):
excited, you know, to dive in and
really explore more about your own personal journey
in this and can you share with us since
you know, from younger age, what is it that
has fueled your own journey that
led you through your adventures and
gradually establishing Celar.
>> Sophie Galvanon (02:25):
So I'm lucky to be half French,
half Swedish and I spent all
my winters in Sweden as I, as a child
and I had already back then a strong
attraction for the cold areas, the snow,
the ice, you know, it, how the
Scandinavian winters are. And, and
(02:45):
my dad was a seaman too. He was
a captain on big fishing,
ships. So I guess that I
was inspired, since the childhood from
him and his stories at sea.
And actually after high
school I wanted to do something
(03:05):
of my own hands so I didn't want
to sit in front of a computer too fast, and
I wanted to discover the world. So seemed
like going at sea was an evidence.
But even though I spent almost all my
career on polar expedition ships, it's not
like that. I started, I started to work on
(03:25):
container ships, on cargo ships,
ferries. But the first time
I sailed in Antarctica it was on
a big passenger ships and
I had like a heart crush on the first iceberg
I saw. And you know, it's like when you have a
hard crash on a person you meet then you know it's
(03:46):
going to be full in and that your entire
life and what burns inside you
is going to commit for that. So
I already, at the time it was 2008,
I was not that much aligned with the
big cruise model in
visiting such wild areas with
(04:06):
almost no human trace. So, so
I went back to Sweden where they have a
much bigger expert fleet for polar
navigation. And I started to work
wintertime on Swedish state
icebreakers where I learned the technique
and state of the art of ice navigation.
And summertime I combined it with
(04:28):
small polar expedition ships that I was
captaining in Svalbard. And
there I learn a lot of things.
Firstly I learn to reconnect with the
tourism industry, to reconnect with
it because when it's done the good way you
can really have an impact on the people and wake
awareness and be respectful on the
(04:50):
environment you visit. And
also as a captain and I would say for the Siemens
skill, what's exceptional in those areas is that there are
still undiscovered areas. So
you really go back to this exploration
feeling and it's quite challenging actually.
It's challenging navigation because you have to
go back to the basics. It's
(05:13):
not that many data, you're off
grid most of the time and have to rely on
your own. So I learned a lot
and I did more than 100
expeditions up there. I started the
first business up there based on that small
scale tourism model. But
two, three years ago I started to work on
(05:35):
Celar, which was aiming to
bring something new and something different.
I've always had it. Now my red
line was to bring an alternative and something
different. I insist in that because
today the tourism industry in the
Arctic has been quite
damaging the environment
(05:57):
and so some disruptive changes was
needed. Also in the emergency state
we all know about climate change
and also because I would say that I'm
both bold enough to try to bring some
different things and also I have a small
crazy creative part and I started to find
it quite boring to see the that the big,
(06:20):
bigger model were almost all the same and the
Smaller model were almost all the same. So I thought, okay,
maybe there's also something new to be done
on the brand side of things and on the
voyage form. And so it was the right
timing to launch sela, which
has the ambition to
(06:41):
really shift the cruise industry
into something more sustainable
and to position itself with
a real adventure spirit.
so Celar is experiential
luxury, small scale, sustainable
adventure in the polar areas.
>> Birgit Liodden (07:01):
And that's so exciting on this
path. There are so many changes that are maybe
easier to test out and experiment
with as a smaller operator
that can then inspire the big players onwards,
which is I think a really important
pioneering role. And I wonder if you can
also tell our audience a little bit more
(07:23):
about how you are focused on
reducing your own scope one emissions
and which other type of decisions and innovative
choices that you have done in the process
of establishing now to support positive ah,
impact on ocean life.
>> Sophie Galvanon (07:40):
So in order to reach our target, to bring
something new, I thought that
we had to rethink everything
because having been in the
sector for the past decade, you know, you
always have some implemented input in your
head. So I thought, okay, we have to start from
(08:00):
a blank page with this goal of
bringing something new and something
that makes profitability coping with
sustainability. One way to
sustainability is the ship that
should be as close as possible to
zero carbon. And that was like an
(08:21):
evidence. But to reach that target
you cannot have it disconnected
from the way you use the ship.
So meaning that we had to rethink
the way we cruise, the way we do polar
expeditions today. And
maybe it was not the good way or maybe it
(08:41):
was. So we took all hypothesis and
then we tried to make it cope with a sustainable
ship. And we landed on the fact
that if you want to reach real
zero carbon emission from the supply
chain to the output, so meaning being
powered by nature, because we are lucky at sea to have
(09:01):
both wind and sun, which are fabulous
energies, then you have to
go small size, because small
size means small ship, a
light ship. And a small and light ship can be
powered by nature and you can
reach that balance. And actually
for us it was also
(09:24):
perfect for our positioning in
client experience because what we offer is promises
of a lifetime and high ended
experiential luxury. And that goes
through intimacy, through exclusivity
and also goes back to small size.
So our first series of ship
(09:44):
is designed for ships that are 70
metre long only. They have
five sails of 35 metres.
There are rigid sails in aluminium
covered with 20,000ft
square metre solar panels.
And most of the time this is enough
(10:04):
to power the entire ship
and transport our
36 passengers and 24
crew. So
we've now the first ship is
currently being built. We had the keel laying last
November and she will be delivered
20, 2026 and start her
(10:26):
expeditions in the arctic end of 26.
And a second ship now a sister ship is
in the track to follow this path
because we've been lucky to
be confirmed that there is a rising
interest for such travel.
Meaning sustainability, small
(10:46):
scale and tailor made
client experience up there that is
so exciting.
>> Birgit Liodden (10:52):
And I feel this is also what I hear around the industry
is like the new megatrend really
for a different type of a
new scope and a new target groups of passengers with
different interest areas, that also really
ties in well, sustainable financial
business and the right choices for
nature and humans. And Sophie, now you
(11:15):
talked about the size of the ship, the main
energy drivers. Are there any
other innovative and different
approaches that you have done also working
towards circular models,
a waste free, emission free industry
beyond these, energy drivers?
>> Sophie Galvanon (11:35):
Yeah, for sure. As I mentioned it's a really
global approach. We had starting from a
blank page. So there was
both the technique, the ship and I
mentioned the sails because they are visible and
obvious. But actually there is a declination
of more than 10 innovations,
technology innovation inside the ship that helps
(11:58):
lower the power needs and
enhancing the efficiency of the
power regeneration. But I will not
dive too much into details. there's a lot
on our website or you could ask for more
in the seat. Right. But as you
mentioned it's important to zoom out
also and to think
(12:20):
about the impact you have by operating a
ship in those environments so
locally and to give back to the local
ecosystem. Because often in those
wild areas you
arrive as a ship owner with your
ship, that is flagged somewhere else with passengers
that comes and go and not
(12:41):
necessarily give back to this ecosystem while
they profit of it. So we
thought we have to make some
balance in it and that's why we've built
some beyond tourism programmes. Meaning
that in the Arctic what we found useful or
how our ship could help locally was
(13:01):
through research. So we have a science
lab on board and we can host scientists and we can
also help with logistics
support for local institutes. We also
have some plastic removal, campaign
because yeah, plastic is a disease
that reaches even those remote areas.
(13:22):
So we had to contribute and
to help clean all those places. And
we have an objective of 5
tonnes removal a year per ship and then
that is actions
and regarding collaboration we
would like to work hand in hand
with local government on
(13:44):
regulation changes
and we are an operator that is
aligned with the more stricter rules, aligned
with more restriction of the tourism and
how it should be done tomorrow.
So we think that the world of tomorrow is
not to fight against more regulation but
to accompany ah those regulation and make it
(14:06):
cope both for business and the
environment. And of course we
will work with local employment
and female empowerment and that you know very well
as we will work hand in hand with the
tool on that point.
>> Birgit Liodden (14:22):
And I think I really hope that other cruise
executives out there listening in will also
really make the chance of getting to know
you and fuel their inspiration
and innovation perspectives.
Also together with a smaller new
player as yourself. I'm so curious
because I mean you already you financed your first
(14:44):
ship, it's being built and then
I'm curious and I think our audiences as well on the current
progress because I mean it is a complex project that you
are embarking on. it's a challenging adventure
basically. Can you tell us more in
depth like openly about the
status and the plan onwards and you
know where are you ahead of targets and where is it
(15:06):
that you have met and experienced the most
challenging bottlenecks and
you know issues so far.
>> Sophie Galvanon (15:14):
So as you mentioned it's full of challenges
but already as I was a captain I'd say I was
allergic to the routine and I was seeking for
more challenges and I see a lot of
parallels between being captain
and entrepreneur. So I was
welcoming those challenges. But for sure we
didn't choose the easy way because our
(15:36):
target was to be a ship owner that
handled all in house meaning that
we've developed together with a naval architect
the design of this ship that is full of innovation.
So it's starting with a non standard
ship, starting from scratch and
a really capex intensive
business. So we had to raise the
(15:58):
funds to build the first ship starting with
a PowerPoint and also
then we choose to operate and travel with a
new model. So it's also a commercial challenge
to convince people that the future within
the luxury of sustainable travel will look like
that and to make them
(16:18):
embark in your vision and then for
sure is the challenge to deliver. And
I would say it took us three years
to hold that. Three years. With my team I have
two co founders that are also serial
entrepreneurs and we were
working yeah 24 hours.
77 but we like that. And
(16:41):
I would say that the biggest challenges Was to
race as a new operator in this world where
you already have some big companies
with established standards and
I would say standards of operations, standards of
profitability and standards of ship.
So it's always a challenge to convince
finances that it can also go
(17:03):
well, another way. I
think that was maybe
the hardest part because as I
said we started from scratch. But
I have to say that we had to fight against the
bad reputation of the cruise industry. Today,
at least in Europe, cruise has a
(17:23):
very bad reputation both by the
consumers, so the clients and the people
as well as in some states and
ports. And so we had to do some
pedagogy to show that the cruise
industry can also be transformed. And it's
important to shift this industry
into more sustainability because as
(17:45):
a reminder, the
maritime sector is the most pollutant one
after the aviation sector and the cruise
is part of the maritime transport.
So we have to make this effort in this
sector and people will not cease to
travel. This is a false belief. I mean
it's more and more travellers and since before
(18:08):
the Greeks we started to explore by sea and
travel by sea. So it's important
to give it a new face. I
would say that today also a ship that is
an Inovan ship and non pollute chip
is about 40% more
expensive than normal chip. So
(18:28):
you have to convince people to invest
in that effort and that it will
be giving back by a model that is then credited
on the commercial side and makes the business run.
And lucky enough this bargain
was checked because only within five
months we had 75%
(18:49):
sold of the capacity of the first ship which
makes us able to now go on the projection for the
fleet growth. And yeah, also
maybe I could add that the technological
challenges is of course one hard
piece. And today I
would say the certification chain, when you
have technological innovation is
(19:12):
so long and
digs into so m many risk assessment
and details and so on that it requires a lot
of energy to keep on and to be
convinced that it's the right way to do it and then to
implement all the changes that are
required. And so it's a
long road. But on the other hand it's also
(19:34):
securing as a ship owner and operator that
all those milestone checks are
made on the new technologies so that
you then sail with a safe ship.
>> Birgit Liodden (19:46):
I think this cruise
Pioneers is Tool's collaborative mission to track
frontrunner initiatives moving global crews from
pollution to solution. We focus on
the bold, large and small players at the
forefront of Driving green, clean and
circular initiatives to inspire others to follow
their path. Sign up with us on
(20:08):
community toolspawn.com to
nominate your your cruise pioneer initiative or explore
already featured pioneers.
This is going to be a very very exciting
journey to follow close moving
onwards. I mean when you are
tackling bottlenecks and different challenges on the
way. In this series we have a lot of
(20:30):
focus on what we call the power couple
dynamics where we focus on
how we can enable and match the
actors to support each other across the
value chain and where we that one
player's target or challenge is the other
actor's business case. And we
are you know very much eager and
(20:51):
aiming to explore where
the pioneers of Kruse are creating
what we call the triple P ripple effects. How
we can tap into the low hanging
fruits and existing
stakeholders to enable these ocean friendly
solutions for the cruise pioneers to
change the industry from the inside. Can you share
(21:14):
with us some examples of such
interactive partnerships that you as
a entrepreneur but also as ship owner
how you are building your first
ship and establishing partnerships
with other innovators.
>> Sophie Galvanon (21:30):
It's a team story when you start to build
the shipping company and as you mentioned it's important
to collaborate on a lot of things. You
can not do everything on your own.
With this project with Celor and in
particular with the we had to collaborate
and exchange a lot with other
innovators most of them were
(21:53):
engineers for example for the
sales we had to exchange a lot with
existing technologies and the
solution that was brought by our naval architect that
is now installed about cellar. This
means collaboration on data and analysis
on M data but not only it also means to
go and reach out to other ship owners that have
(22:15):
installed other technologies and check about their
feedback about how they use the
ship with usas if it can be compared to our
model or not. And I was
positively surprised I would say by the
collaboration that we have at least in France in
between new co ship owners.
We collaborate and compete in
(22:38):
the way that we exchange a lot
and this exchanges
nourishes all our sectors and
we all grow up by that by
sharing. And what I hope now is that
we'll be able to extend that
collaboration range overseas
because I think that the maritime transport
(23:00):
is worldwide and when you're small player
and we are starting small but we hope
to lead the way for the small
cruise industry tomorrow you may be
less accessible to bigger
operators and I think they have
important feedback to give us and they
have an important insight also of the
(23:23):
business and the industry that can nourish the
smaller crew. The smaller crews, sorry,
and maybe the smaller crews has also much
more flexibility and adaptability to test
things that can then be
maybe scaled up for the larger cruise
industry.
>> Birgit Liodden (23:41):
That's a really great perspective and
I think commitment, I think the fueling the
power of true collaboration. And then
I'm very curious to hear about your.
I mean you are well on track.
the ship is being built, you are Getting onwards
toward 2026 and launching
(24:02):
the First Lady. And then I
wonder about your existing
unresolved pain points. I would like to hear
which additional area or areas
where you have very clear commitments,
where you don't, you know, yet
have the solution or made the selection
(24:22):
and where you are interested in
partnering up with other entrepreneurs in the
supply chain to power couple for
radical solutions.
>> Sophie Galvanon (24:33):
So for sure we've made some
disruptive choices regarding the
technological fitting of the ship.
But we've implemented everything keeping
in mind that the ship has to be
upgraded with the years because today
we are in a world where the technology is going
so fast and changing so much.
(24:55):
So we think and we
have provision to invest
in some renewal of sustainable equipment
and I think that there are still some improvement
to be done. So we'll
be really eager to hear
engineers feedback and after a year of
operation we'll have also some
(25:17):
proofs and some concrete data to see
if our technical choice are
giving those disruptive results and
how much of it. So that will be
an interesting part and how clear
we are of things. We are quite
conservative on our provisioning
(25:38):
so both on the
technical and sustainable
performance. So we hope to be ahead of it. But we'll
see and challenge today is
also the supply chain actually
because we are operating
in really remote areas so everything
has to be transported to those areas.
(26:00):
So basically anything that you buy on
place is shipped or by
plane or by sea. And I think there
is something to be done to
optimise that part too
because actually the carbon print is not
only what you have on board, it's also
how it comes on board. And
(26:23):
that being said also implies how the
passengers reach to the ship. And
today it's by plane. And that's a pain. I
mean, we would like this chain also to
change and to be sustainable. So that
is a point of work both on our
scope and on the aviation side I think.
(26:44):
And then we are internally
putting a lot of energy on training,
training the people because as we are
small scale and Tailor made
human is key for the
experience and human is key for the field
knowledge. And today the people are
changing, younger generation are
(27:06):
changing more and more of jobs
and you have maybe a bit less
experience while in some job
titles like the captain, like the
expedition leaders we have on board, it's
necessarily you have to build up
some experience from the field. So
that is quite rare to find.
(27:28):
And today if we want the younger
generation not to turn over
that much we have to be attractive
on that part as an employer and as a ship
owner. And so we have to find new
ways to match their needs. So
I would say that's also some point of work we
have to focus on.
>> Birgit Liodden (27:49):
And moving onwards when you get closer
to getting into operation you will
also have the opportunity, opportunity in some cases to
allow other entrepreneurs to test
solutions with you, if that works.
And you will be looking for local
suppliers and innovators for the various, part of
your I mean local sourcing and
(28:12):
activities I assume.
>> Sophie Galvanon (28:13):
Yeah, exactly. So on the technological
side of things, the ship is built to be
able to be a lab so to say
and host and test some equipment
while preserving safe operation and
handling of the ship with quite
let's say classical equipment that can be
used in any case. So yes,
(28:36):
any initiatives or of
improvement regarding the ship technology
or even some research
equipment are really welcome.
And regarding activities, you're
totally right we want to build it with
the locals hand in hand with
field experts because we
(28:57):
think that it would be a mistake
to from the outside think
it's a good idea but then realise once
you're sure that it's not matching the
uses, not matching the way people
live up there. So we want to have some
cool coherence in everything.
(29:17):
And for sellor it's really important
to stay aligned with our values
and one of them is authenticity.
So yes, we work hand in
hand with locals to build
all the client experience.
>> Birgit Liodden (29:33):
I think that is such an important approach.
Moving onwards and then I'm
curious to hear where you are
today and onwards. What kind of specific
partners and resources do you
need from our global community
onwards, how can we in tool and
also us in the sea trade sphere support
(29:55):
your journey.
>> Sophie Galvanon (29:57):
So currently our first ship is under building
and our
2025 target is to finance
the fleet growth first with a second
sistership and then with the third one.
So we're looking for financial partners for that.
We are also looking for commercial partners
because we operate both
(30:19):
commercial lex B2C under our
own brand. That is 50% of the business
side and the other 50% is
charted out to other tour
operators or commercial,
actors. So we are actively looking into
that and we have the
ambition to be an international company. So
(30:41):
even if we are French based, we don't
see us as a French company.
And then, so
we'll have those first three ships and then if I
look really long term, we'll have to
design another series of ships for other
destinations. And so from there we'll
(31:01):
need everything you need to design a ship.
So engineering naval architect to be
able to meet same purpose
as those polar ships, meaning zero
carbon and perfect
experiential luxury travel,
design you, I mean.
>> Birgit Liodden (31:19):
You tapped into the issue of talents and that's
something we, you know, make sure we ask
our prominent guests in every
episode related to ctrade's
initiative with tomorrow's talents today.
Because I mean regardless of small,
large player, where we're based, which
segments within cruise, we all need
(31:40):
great humans on board with us to build the future of
cruise. Do you have any
personal hacks or advice to talents and
industry colleagues that you would like to
share when it comes to building your
career and move be part of
moving our industry into a better future?
>> Sophie Galvanon (32:00):
I think it's important to stay focused and
believe in yourself and be adaptable
because this industry is changing a lot
and quickly and you always have to
think ahead and not be afraid of
thinking outside the box.
And also I think that the maritime
(32:20):
sector is open to any type of
profiles. And personally, when we recruit
our team at sela, we have a special
focus on soft skills
and also on the
logical part, on how people
think logically and if they are
capable or not of doing things of their own
(32:41):
hands. That's important for us to.
And then from there, whether you
have done great studies or not, we know if we
can take you up to other
levels.
>> Birgit Liodden (32:54):
Thank you. And I think that's some really
great tips. And are there any, I mean you touched upon it,
but are there any specific mindset or skill
set that you really, really consider key
for talents that are eager to join the
cruise pioneer movement?
>> Sophie Galvanon (33:11):
I would say adaptability and
flexibility. So adaptability
both in your management style. So
meaning that you can go from vertical to
horizontal, both in the way
you can react and find
solutions, solution finder, and
(33:31):
also adaptability in being able
to think on strategy
sometime and sometime you need to go down
and do some more, operational tasks.
So I think that yeah, adaptability would be
my keyword.
>> Birgit Liodden (33:47):
Since you're an entrepreneur, do you also
have some key hack or
advice to other entrepreneurs out there on
their journey?
>> Sophie Galvanon (33:57):
dare to do it and to commit. There is
plenty of things to do and plenty of
things that needs to be changed.
>> Birgit Liodden (34:05):
Thank you. And then, you know, we are
in the middle of celebrating, the International Women's
Week and month day. And
of course, I mean we're both female founders
and we also have an initiative together that we
haven't really launched or talked about
yet out in the public. And that is related
(34:25):
to women of course, because you mentioned
you are going to start, general recruitment for
key roles, towards the end of this year. And
we are now preparing and
building up what we call a global female,
crew pool for stellar
and for other, key pioneers, on the
(34:46):
tool community. and we have
quite a bold ambition for
tools. Two expeditions that we are teaming
up together for in 2027. So can
you talk about, I mean you are a female founder, you are a
female captain. What is your general commitment
on, crew diversity and then we can move into
(35:06):
what we're aiming for on the tool part of it.
>> Sophie Galvanon (35:08):
We have the objective to be the more
gender equal company of the world
and actually it's a bit sad to say but the
challenge is not that high because the International
Maritime Organisation came out with the
number of female seamen on the international
fleet and it's only 1%.
(35:29):
So there's a lot of work to be done and
a lot of effort. And together with
ubergit, together with tul, we have this dream
and objective of on two of the
tul cruises to have 100%
female crew on board. And that would be a world
premiere I think.
>> Birgit Liodden (35:47):
M and then we are, we have planned for
and set up the initial programme for two
Arctic expeditions, with diversity
at the core in 2027. We have one end
of January 2027 going to the Arctic
Frontier Conference and one where
we are moving all the way up to
Svalbard in end of May
(36:10):
2027. Both of these expeditions
will have their own unique research
target which we connect towards the
Explorers Club. And then our mission
is to now spend time recruiting a
really amazing global pool
of women's seafarers and
expedition crew, together with
(36:31):
Salar, so that we can really
show a different pioneering story
beyond the environmental part of this.
Ah. And what I think is especially interesting
when it comes to the Svalbard
Peninsula is Ah. And that might
be not so known to many but all the
way back because I mean Celar is a French
(36:54):
company, it has its financing
from France as well. And if we move a
century back in
1838 till 1840,
there was another French initiative that was
the world's first purely
environmental, scientific expedition, La
Recherche Expedition that was led
(37:16):
by French people and
financed by the French government, up to
Svalbard where it also gave name to what we
call the Recherche Fjord. And on
board that expedition was actually the
first ever woman to be on
board an Arctic expedition. her name
was Leonie Donnet. she
(37:39):
later wrote about her experiences and I
feel you know, the path and the
adventures and the voyage of Salar
and your adventure Moving ahead towards
2027, it really pulls us
back to you know, hundred year old history
and setting a new path
(37:59):
and difference that is made
by the French and with
women on board. So I
think we have a very exciting journey
ahead and we will be able to follow
your and Sellar's journey now up close
on the tool community during all of this
(38:19):
year. I would advise, you know, any women
seafarers out there that are keen to you
know, get on board the expedition
lifestyle, to let us know and
then Sophie we will be able to meet
you at Seatrade Trade for sea trade
40th anniversary in Miami
in April this year. That is going to be really,
(38:41):
really exciting and I think that it will be great
to hear more about your journey
there. and I encourage everyone out
there who have, you know,
resources, connections etcetera
that are relevant for Sophie's journey onwards
to realise the potentials of solar to,
to reach out. And I think also you
(39:03):
already opened up your bookings.
>> Sophie Galvanon (39:06):
Yeah, we already opened up our
bookings so you can reach out
online via WhatsApp or you can see our
expeditions on
ww.selor.cc.
>> Birgit Liodden (39:19):
Thank you and thank you so much for joining us
Sophie and for inspiring us
and well happy Women's Day and
Women's Week to everyone and
stay tuned for the next episode of the Cruise
Pioneer podcast
(39:40):
for sea Trade global 40th anniversary
in 2025. We will also prepare the very
first edition of Tools Cruise Innovators,
a global overview of startups and innovators with
enabling solutions for cruise. Welcome
on board our voyage into the future and join the
wave. Sign up today
community.toolspawn.com.
Welcome to the Cruise Pioneers podcast by
tool, hosted on, Seatrade Cruise Talks
Podcasts.
Hello, I'm Birgit Liodin, Sustainability ambassador
of Seatrade Trade and founder of the Ocean Opportunity
Lab. In this new series we will dive into the
pioneering initiatives of cruise lines and entrepreneurs
(00:22):
who move and change the cruise industry. We focus
on real life frontrunner initiatives and power
couples enabling crews to move
from pollution to solution. Get on board our
shared expedition as we get behind the scenes
and explore how owners, founders and
top executives move from vision to
(00:42):
deployment. In today's episode, we
dive in with Sophie Galvanon,
serial entrepreneur and polar captain.
Sophie is the CEO and co founder of Cellar
Expeditions, the first Arctic expedition cruise
line. Fueled by nature and founded
by a woman. Sophie is a maritime
(01:02):
explorer and entrepreneur. She's renowned as the
youngest captain, decorated with the French maritime
merits and with a decade of experience
navigating the challenging waters over the Arctic,
she has established herself as the first
French woman officer, an icebreaker,
an ice pilot and captain of different
polar expedition ships. Welcome
(01:24):
Sophie and I'm so excited to celebrate
the International Women's Week and have you
joining, sharing your voyage and your
experiences with our audience.
>> Sophie Galvanon (01:35):
Thank you Birgit, thank you for inviting me. I'm
excited too and happy to share any type
of stories, whether it's on the field side or on
the managing side.
>> Birgit Liodden (01:45):
And Sophie, let's start with your pioneer
commitment because in this podcast
we ask all of our guests to introduce, you
know, their high level targets for an emission
free and waste free cruise industry and building
the competitive edge for what we call
a future proof industry. And I'm so
(02:05):
excited, you know, to dive in and
really explore more about your own personal journey
in this and can you share with us since
you know, from younger age, what is it that
has fueled your own journey that
led you through your adventures and
gradually establishing Celar.
>> Sophie Galvanon (02:25):
So I'm lucky to be half French,
half Swedish and I spent all
my winters in Sweden as I, as a child
and I had already back then a strong
attraction for the cold areas, the snow,
the ice, you know, it, how the
Scandinavian winters are. And, and
(02:45):
my dad was a seaman too. He was
a captain on big fishing,
ships. So I guess that I
was inspired, since the childhood from
him and his stories at sea.
And actually after high
school I wanted to do something
(03:05):
of my own hands so I didn't want
to sit in front of a computer too fast, and
I wanted to discover the world. So seemed
like going at sea was an evidence.
But even though I spent almost all my
career on polar expedition ships, it's not
like that. I started, I started to work on
(03:25):
container ships, on cargo ships,
ferries. But the first time
I sailed in Antarctica it was on
a big passenger ships and
I had like a heart crush on the first iceberg
I saw. And you know, it's like when you have a
hard crash on a person you meet then you know it's
(03:46):
going to be full in and that your entire
life and what burns inside you
is going to commit for that. So
I already, at the time it was 2008,
I was not that much aligned with the
big cruise model in
visiting such wild areas with
(04:06):
almost no human trace. So, so
I went back to Sweden where they have a
much bigger expert fleet for polar
navigation. And I started to work
wintertime on Swedish state
icebreakers where I learned the technique
and state of the art of ice navigation.
And summertime I combined it with
(04:28):
small polar expedition ships that I was
captaining in Svalbard. And
there I learn a lot of things.
Firstly I learn to reconnect with the
tourism industry, to reconnect with
it because when it's done the good way you
can really have an impact on the people and wake
awareness and be respectful on the
(04:50):
environment you visit. And
also as a captain and I would say for the Siemens
skill, what's exceptional in those areas is that there are
still undiscovered areas. So
you really go back to this exploration
feeling and it's quite challenging actually.
It's challenging navigation because you have to
go back to the basics. It's
(05:13):
not that many data, you're off
grid most of the time and have to rely on
your own. So I learned a lot
and I did more than 100
expeditions up there. I started the
first business up there based on that small
scale tourism model. But
two, three years ago I started to work on
(05:35):
Celar, which was aiming to
bring something new and something different.
I've always had it. Now my red
line was to bring an alternative and something
different. I insist in that because
today the tourism industry in the
Arctic has been quite
damaging the environment
(05:57):
and so some disruptive changes was
needed. Also in the emergency state
we all know about climate change
and also because I would say that I'm
both bold enough to try to bring some
different things and also I have a small
crazy creative part and I started to find
it quite boring to see the that the big,
(06:20):
bigger model were almost all the same and the
Smaller model were almost all the same. So I thought, okay,
maybe there's also something new to be done
on the brand side of things and on the
voyage form. And so it was the right
timing to launch sela, which
has the ambition to
(06:41):
really shift the cruise industry
into something more sustainable
and to position itself with
a real adventure spirit.
so Celar is experiential
luxury, small scale, sustainable
adventure in the polar areas.
>> Birgit Liodden (07:01):
And that's so exciting on this
path. There are so many changes that are maybe
easier to test out and experiment
with as a smaller operator
that can then inspire the big players onwards,
which is I think a really important
pioneering role. And I wonder if you can
also tell our audience a little bit more
(07:23):
about how you are focused on
reducing your own scope one emissions
and which other type of decisions and innovative
choices that you have done in the process
of establishing now to support positive ah,
impact on ocean life.
>> Sophie Galvanon (07:40):
So in order to reach our target, to bring
something new, I thought that
we had to rethink everything
because having been in the
sector for the past decade, you know, you
always have some implemented input in your
head. So I thought, okay, we have to start from
(08:00):
a blank page with this goal of
bringing something new and something
that makes profitability coping with
sustainability. One way to
sustainability is the ship that
should be as close as possible to
zero carbon. And that was like an
(08:21):
evidence. But to reach that target
you cannot have it disconnected
from the way you use the ship.
So meaning that we had to rethink
the way we cruise, the way we do polar
expeditions today. And
maybe it was not the good way or maybe it
(08:41):
was. So we took all hypothesis and
then we tried to make it cope with a sustainable
ship. And we landed on the fact
that if you want to reach real
zero carbon emission from the supply
chain to the output, so meaning being
powered by nature, because we are lucky at sea to have
(09:01):
both wind and sun, which are fabulous
energies, then you have to
go small size, because small
size means small ship, a
light ship. And a small and light ship can be
powered by nature and you can
reach that balance. And actually
for us it was also
(09:24):
perfect for our positioning in
client experience because what we offer is promises
of a lifetime and high ended
experiential luxury. And that goes
through intimacy, through exclusivity
and also goes back to small size.
So our first series of ship
(09:44):
is designed for ships that are 70
metre long only. They have
five sails of 35 metres.
There are rigid sails in aluminium
covered with 20,000ft
square metre solar panels.
And most of the time this is enough
(10:04):
to power the entire ship
and transport our
36 passengers and 24
crew. So
we've now the first ship is
currently being built. We had the keel laying last
November and she will be delivered
20, 2026 and start her
(10:26):
expeditions in the arctic end of 26.
And a second ship now a sister ship is
in the track to follow this path
because we've been lucky to
be confirmed that there is a rising
interest for such travel.
Meaning sustainability, small
(10:46):
scale and tailor made
client experience up there that is
so exciting.
>> Birgit Liodden (10:52):
And I feel this is also what I hear around the industry
is like the new megatrend really
for a different type of a
new scope and a new target groups of passengers with
different interest areas, that also really
ties in well, sustainable financial
business and the right choices for
nature and humans. And Sophie, now you
(11:15):
talked about the size of the ship, the main
energy drivers. Are there any
other innovative and different
approaches that you have done also working
towards circular models,
a waste free, emission free industry
beyond these, energy drivers?
>> Sophie Galvanon (11:35):
Yeah, for sure. As I mentioned it's a really
global approach. We had starting from a
blank page. So there was
both the technique, the ship and I
mentioned the sails because they are visible and
obvious. But actually there is a declination
of more than 10 innovations,
technology innovation inside the ship that helps
(11:58):
lower the power needs and
enhancing the efficiency of the
power regeneration. But I will not
dive too much into details. there's a lot
on our website or you could ask for more
in the seat. Right. But as you
mentioned it's important to zoom out
also and to think
(12:20):
about the impact you have by operating a
ship in those environments so
locally and to give back to the local
ecosystem. Because often in those
wild areas you
arrive as a ship owner with your
ship, that is flagged somewhere else with passengers
that comes and go and not
(12:41):
necessarily give back to this ecosystem while
they profit of it. So we
thought we have to make some
balance in it and that's why we've built
some beyond tourism programmes. Meaning
that in the Arctic what we found useful or
how our ship could help locally was
(13:01):
through research. So we have a science
lab on board and we can host scientists and we can
also help with logistics
support for local institutes. We also
have some plastic removal, campaign
because yeah, plastic is a disease
that reaches even those remote areas.
(13:22):
So we had to contribute and
to help clean all those places. And
we have an objective of 5
tonnes removal a year per ship and then
that is actions
and regarding collaboration we
would like to work hand in hand
with local government on
(13:44):
regulation changes
and we are an operator that is
aligned with the more stricter rules, aligned
with more restriction of the tourism and
how it should be done tomorrow.
So we think that the world of tomorrow is
not to fight against more regulation but
to accompany ah those regulation and make it
(14:06):
cope both for business and the
environment. And of course we
will work with local employment
and female empowerment and that you know very well
as we will work hand in hand with the
tool on that point.
>> Birgit Liodden (14:22):
And I think I really hope that other cruise
executives out there listening in will also
really make the chance of getting to know
you and fuel their inspiration
and innovation perspectives.
Also together with a smaller new
player as yourself. I'm so curious
because I mean you already you financed your first
(14:44):
ship, it's being built and then
I'm curious and I think our audiences as well on the current
progress because I mean it is a complex project that you
are embarking on. it's a challenging adventure
basically. Can you tell us more in
depth like openly about the
status and the plan onwards and you
know where are you ahead of targets and where is it
(15:06):
that you have met and experienced the most
challenging bottlenecks and
you know issues so far.
>> Sophie Galvanon (15:14):
So as you mentioned it's full of challenges
but already as I was a captain I'd say I was
allergic to the routine and I was seeking for
more challenges and I see a lot of
parallels between being captain
and entrepreneur. So I was
welcoming those challenges. But for sure we
didn't choose the easy way because our
(15:36):
target was to be a ship owner that
handled all in house meaning that
we've developed together with a naval architect
the design of this ship that is full of innovation.
So it's starting with a non standard
ship, starting from scratch and
a really capex intensive
business. So we had to raise the
(15:58):
funds to build the first ship starting with
a PowerPoint and also
then we choose to operate and travel with a
new model. So it's also a commercial challenge
to convince people that the future within
the luxury of sustainable travel will look like
that and to make them
(16:18):
embark in your vision and then for
sure is the challenge to deliver. And
I would say it took us three years
to hold that. Three years. With my team I have
two co founders that are also serial
entrepreneurs and we were
working yeah 24 hours.
77 but we like that. And
(16:41):
I would say that the biggest challenges Was to
race as a new operator in this world where
you already have some big companies
with established standards and
I would say standards of operations, standards of
profitability and standards of ship.
So it's always a challenge to convince
finances that it can also go
(17:03):
well, another way. I
think that was maybe
the hardest part because as I
said we started from scratch. But
I have to say that we had to fight against the
bad reputation of the cruise industry. Today,
at least in Europe, cruise has a
(17:23):
very bad reputation both by the
consumers, so the clients and the people
as well as in some states and
ports. And so we had to do some
pedagogy to show that the cruise
industry can also be transformed. And it's
important to shift this industry
into more sustainability because as
(17:45):
a reminder, the
maritime sector is the most pollutant one
after the aviation sector and the cruise
is part of the maritime transport.
So we have to make this effort in this
sector and people will not cease to
travel. This is a false belief. I mean
it's more and more travellers and since before
(18:08):
the Greeks we started to explore by sea and
travel by sea. So it's important
to give it a new face. I
would say that today also a ship that is
an Inovan ship and non pollute chip
is about 40% more
expensive than normal chip. So
(18:28):
you have to convince people to invest
in that effort and that it will
be giving back by a model that is then credited
on the commercial side and makes the business run.
And lucky enough this bargain
was checked because only within five
months we had 75%
(18:49):
sold of the capacity of the first ship which
makes us able to now go on the projection for the
fleet growth. And yeah, also
maybe I could add that the technological
challenges is of course one hard
piece. And today I
would say the certification chain, when you
have technological innovation is
(19:12):
so long and
digs into so m many risk assessment
and details and so on that it requires a lot
of energy to keep on and to be
convinced that it's the right way to do it and then to
implement all the changes that are
required. And so it's a
long road. But on the other hand it's also
(19:34):
securing as a ship owner and operator that
all those milestone checks are
made on the new technologies so that
you then sail with a safe ship.
>> Birgit Liodden (19:46):
I think this cruise
Pioneers is Tool's collaborative mission to track
frontrunner initiatives moving global crews from
pollution to solution. We focus on
the bold, large and small players at the
forefront of Driving green, clean and
circular initiatives to inspire others to follow
their path. Sign up with us on
(20:08):
community toolspawn.com to
nominate your your cruise pioneer initiative or explore
already featured pioneers.
This is going to be a very very exciting
journey to follow close moving
onwards. I mean when you are
tackling bottlenecks and different challenges on the
way. In this series we have a lot of
(20:30):
focus on what we call the power couple
dynamics where we focus on
how we can enable and match the
actors to support each other across the
value chain and where we that one
player's target or challenge is the other
actor's business case. And we
are you know very much eager and
(20:51):
aiming to explore where
the pioneers of Kruse are creating
what we call the triple P ripple effects. How
we can tap into the low hanging
fruits and existing
stakeholders to enable these ocean friendly
solutions for the cruise pioneers to
change the industry from the inside. Can you share
(21:14):
with us some examples of such
interactive partnerships that you as
a entrepreneur but also as ship owner
how you are building your first
ship and establishing partnerships
with other innovators.
>> Sophie Galvanon (21:30):
It's a team story when you start to build
the shipping company and as you mentioned it's important
to collaborate on a lot of things. You
can not do everything on your own.
With this project with Celor and in
particular with the we had to collaborate
and exchange a lot with other
innovators most of them were
(21:53):
engineers for example for the
sales we had to exchange a lot with
existing technologies and the
solution that was brought by our naval architect that
is now installed about cellar. This
means collaboration on data and analysis
on M data but not only it also means to
go and reach out to other ship owners that have
(22:15):
installed other technologies and check about their
feedback about how they use the
ship with usas if it can be compared to our
model or not. And I was
positively surprised I would say by the
collaboration that we have at least in France in
between new co ship owners.
We collaborate and compete in
(22:38):
the way that we exchange a lot
and this exchanges
nourishes all our sectors and
we all grow up by that by
sharing. And what I hope now is that
we'll be able to extend that
collaboration range overseas
because I think that the maritime transport
(23:00):
is worldwide and when you're small player
and we are starting small but we hope
to lead the way for the small
cruise industry tomorrow you may be
less accessible to bigger
operators and I think they have
important feedback to give us and they
have an important insight also of the
(23:23):
business and the industry that can nourish the
smaller crew. The smaller crews, sorry,
and maybe the smaller crews has also much
more flexibility and adaptability to test
things that can then be
maybe scaled up for the larger cruise
industry.
>> Birgit Liodden (23:41):
That's a really great perspective and
I think commitment, I think the fueling the
power of true collaboration. And then
I'm very curious to hear about your.
I mean you are well on track.
the ship is being built, you are Getting onwards
toward 2026 and launching
(24:02):
the First Lady. And then I
wonder about your existing
unresolved pain points. I would like to hear
which additional area or areas
where you have very clear commitments,
where you don't, you know, yet
have the solution or made the selection
(24:22):
and where you are interested in
partnering up with other entrepreneurs in the
supply chain to power couple for
radical solutions.
>> Sophie Galvanon (24:33):
So for sure we've made some
disruptive choices regarding the
technological fitting of the ship.
But we've implemented everything keeping
in mind that the ship has to be
upgraded with the years because today
we are in a world where the technology is going
so fast and changing so much.
(24:55):
So we think and we
have provision to invest
in some renewal of sustainable equipment
and I think that there are still some improvement
to be done. So we'll
be really eager to hear
engineers feedback and after a year of
operation we'll have also some
(25:17):
proofs and some concrete data to see
if our technical choice are
giving those disruptive results and
how much of it. So that will be
an interesting part and how clear
we are of things. We are quite
conservative on our provisioning
(25:38):
so both on the
technical and sustainable
performance. So we hope to be ahead of it. But we'll
see and challenge today is
also the supply chain actually
because we are operating
in really remote areas so everything
has to be transported to those areas.
(26:00):
So basically anything that you buy on
place is shipped or by
plane or by sea. And I think there
is something to be done to
optimise that part too
because actually the carbon print is not
only what you have on board, it's also
how it comes on board. And
(26:23):
that being said also implies how the
passengers reach to the ship. And
today it's by plane. And that's a pain. I
mean, we would like this chain also to
change and to be sustainable. So that
is a point of work both on our
scope and on the aviation side I think.
(26:44):
And then we are internally
putting a lot of energy on training,
training the people because as we are
small scale and Tailor made
human is key for the
experience and human is key for the field
knowledge. And today the people are
changing, younger generation are
(27:06):
changing more and more of jobs
and you have maybe a bit less
experience while in some job
titles like the captain, like the
expedition leaders we have on board, it's
necessarily you have to build up
some experience from the field. So
that is quite rare to find.
(27:28):
And today if we want the younger
generation not to turn over
that much we have to be attractive
on that part as an employer and as a ship
owner. And so we have to find new
ways to match their needs. So
I would say that's also some point of work we
have to focus on.
>> Birgit Liodden (27:49):
And moving onwards when you get closer
to getting into operation you will
also have the opportunity, opportunity in some cases to
allow other entrepreneurs to test
solutions with you, if that works.
And you will be looking for local
suppliers and innovators for the various, part of
your I mean local sourcing and
(28:12):
activities I assume.
>> Sophie Galvanon (28:13):
Yeah, exactly. So on the technological
side of things, the ship is built to be
able to be a lab so to say
and host and test some equipment
while preserving safe operation and
handling of the ship with quite
let's say classical equipment that can be
used in any case. So yes,
(28:36):
any initiatives or of
improvement regarding the ship technology
or even some research
equipment are really welcome.
And regarding activities, you're
totally right we want to build it with
the locals hand in hand with
field experts because we
(28:57):
think that it would be a mistake
to from the outside think
it's a good idea but then realise once
you're sure that it's not matching the
uses, not matching the way people
live up there. So we want to have some
cool coherence in everything.
(29:17):
And for sellor it's really important
to stay aligned with our values
and one of them is authenticity.
So yes, we work hand in
hand with locals to build
all the client experience.
>> Birgit Liodden (29:33):
I think that is such an important approach.
Moving onwards and then I'm
curious to hear where you are
today and onwards. What kind of specific
partners and resources do you
need from our global community
onwards, how can we in tool and
also us in the sea trade sphere support
(29:55):
your journey.
>> Sophie Galvanon (29:57):
So currently our first ship is under building
and our
2025 target is to finance
the fleet growth first with a second
sistership and then with the third one.
So we're looking for financial partners for that.
We are also looking for commercial partners
because we operate both
(30:19):
commercial lex B2C under our
own brand. That is 50% of the business
side and the other 50% is
charted out to other tour
operators or commercial,
actors. So we are actively looking into
that and we have the
ambition to be an international company. So
(30:41):
even if we are French based, we don't
see us as a French company.
And then, so
we'll have those first three ships and then if I
look really long term, we'll have to
design another series of ships for other
destinations. And so from there we'll
(31:01):
need everything you need to design a ship.
So engineering naval architect to be
able to meet same purpose
as those polar ships, meaning zero
carbon and perfect
experiential luxury travel,
design you, I mean.
>> Birgit Liodden (31:19):
You tapped into the issue of talents and that's
something we, you know, make sure we ask
our prominent guests in every
episode related to ctrade's
initiative with tomorrow's talents today.
Because I mean regardless of small,
large player, where we're based, which
segments within cruise, we all need
(31:40):
great humans on board with us to build the future of
cruise. Do you have any
personal hacks or advice to talents and
industry colleagues that you would like to
share when it comes to building your
career and move be part of
moving our industry into a better future?
>> Sophie Galvanon (32:00):
I think it's important to stay focused and
believe in yourself and be adaptable
because this industry is changing a lot
and quickly and you always have to
think ahead and not be afraid of
thinking outside the box.
And also I think that the maritime
(32:20):
sector is open to any type of
profiles. And personally, when we recruit
our team at sela, we have a special
focus on soft skills
and also on the
logical part, on how people
think logically and if they are
capable or not of doing things of their own
(32:41):
hands. That's important for us to.
And then from there, whether you
have done great studies or not, we know if we
can take you up to other
levels.
>> Birgit Liodden (32:54):
Thank you. And I think that's some really
great tips. And are there any, I mean you touched upon it,
but are there any specific mindset or skill
set that you really, really consider key
for talents that are eager to join the
cruise pioneer movement?
>> Sophie Galvanon (33:11):
I would say adaptability and
flexibility. So adaptability
both in your management style. So
meaning that you can go from vertical to
horizontal, both in the way
you can react and find
solutions, solution finder, and
(33:31):
also adaptability in being able
to think on strategy
sometime and sometime you need to go down
and do some more, operational tasks.
So I think that yeah, adaptability would be
my keyword.
>> Birgit Liodden (33:47):
Since you're an entrepreneur, do you also
have some key hack or
advice to other entrepreneurs out there on
their journey?
>> Sophie Galvanon (33:57):
dare to do it and to commit. There is
plenty of things to do and plenty of
things that needs to be changed.
>> Birgit Liodden (34:05):
Thank you. And then, you know, we are
in the middle of celebrating, the International Women's
Week and month day. And
of course, I mean we're both female founders
and we also have an initiative together that we
haven't really launched or talked about
yet out in the public. And that is related
(34:25):
to women of course, because you mentioned
you are going to start, general recruitment for
key roles, towards the end of this year. And
we are now preparing and
building up what we call a global female,
crew pool for stellar
and for other, key pioneers, on the
(34:46):
tool community. and we have
quite a bold ambition for
tools. Two expeditions that we are teaming
up together for in 2027. So can
you talk about, I mean you are a female founder, you are a
female captain. What is your general commitment
on, crew diversity and then we can move into
(35:06):
what we're aiming for on the tool part of it.
>> Sophie Galvanon (35:08):
We have the objective to be the more
gender equal company of the world
and actually it's a bit sad to say but the
challenge is not that high because the International
Maritime Organisation came out with the
number of female seamen on the international
fleet and it's only 1%.
(35:29):
So there's a lot of work to be done and
a lot of effort. And together with
ubergit, together with tul, we have this dream
and objective of on two of the
tul cruises to have 100%
female crew on board. And that would be a world
premiere I think.
>> Birgit Liodden (35:47):
M and then we are, we have planned for
and set up the initial programme for two
Arctic expeditions, with diversity
at the core in 2027. We have one end
of January 2027 going to the Arctic
Frontier Conference and one where
we are moving all the way up to
Svalbard in end of May
(36:10):
2027. Both of these expeditions
will have their own unique research
target which we connect towards the
Explorers Club. And then our mission
is to now spend time recruiting a
really amazing global pool
of women's seafarers and
expedition crew, together with
(36:31):
Salar, so that we can really
show a different pioneering story
beyond the environmental part of this.
Ah. And what I think is especially interesting
when it comes to the Svalbard
Peninsula is Ah. And that might
be not so known to many but all the
way back because I mean Celar is a French
(36:54):
company, it has its financing
from France as well. And if we move a
century back in
1838 till 1840,
there was another French initiative that was
the world's first purely
environmental, scientific expedition, La
Recherche Expedition that was led
(37:16):
by French people and
financed by the French government, up to
Svalbard where it also gave name to what we
call the Recherche Fjord. And on
board that expedition was actually the
first ever woman to be on
board an Arctic expedition. her name
was Leonie Donnet. she
(37:39):
later wrote about her experiences and I
feel you know, the path and the
adventures and the voyage of Salar
and your adventure Moving ahead towards
2027, it really pulls us
back to you know, hundred year old history
and setting a new path
(37:59):
and difference that is made
by the French and with
women on board. So I
think we have a very exciting journey
ahead and we will be able to follow
your and Sellar's journey now up close
on the tool community during all of this
(38:19):
year. I would advise, you know, any women
seafarers out there that are keen to you
know, get on board the expedition
lifestyle, to let us know and
then Sophie we will be able to meet
you at Seatrade Trade for sea trade
40th anniversary in Miami
in April this year. That is going to be really,
(38:41):
really exciting and I think that it will be great
to hear more about your journey
there. and I encourage everyone out
there who have, you know,
resources, connections etcetera
that are relevant for Sophie's journey onwards
to realise the potentials of solar to,
to reach out. And I think also you
(39:03):
already opened up your bookings.
>> Sophie Galvanon (39:06):
Yeah, we already opened up our
bookings so you can reach out
online via WhatsApp or you can see our
expeditions on
ww.selor.cc.
>> Birgit Liodden (39:19):
Thank you and thank you so much for joining us
Sophie and for inspiring us
and well happy Women's Day and
Women's Week to everyone and
stay tuned for the next episode of the Cruise
Pioneer podcast
(39:40):
for sea Trade global 40th anniversary
in 2025. We will also prepare the very
first edition of Tools Cruise Innovators,
a global overview of startups and innovators with
enabling solutions for cruise. Welcome
on board our voyage into the future and join the
wave. Sign up today
community.toolspawn.com.
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