Knut Kloster, the founder of Norwegian Cruise Line, died Sept. 20. He was 91.
Kloster launched cruises from Miami in 1966 on the 550-passenger Sunward, becoming a pioneer in the what would become the modern cruise industry.
Knut Kloster
Norwegian Cruise Line parent company, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, said that among Kloster's achievements were founding the industry's first private island, Great Stirrup Cay, and launching the first megaship in the Caribbean, with the Norway.
"We are incredibly saddened by the loss of the visionary who not only brought our company, but our industry, to life," NCLH CEO Frank Del Rio said in a statement. "Knut was a pioneer in our industry and certainly ahead of his time, exploring every opportunity to be at the forefront and break boundaries. His passion went beyond cruising with contributions to social, cultural, humanitarian and environmental causes worldwide."
The Norway, the former liner France, which was adapted for Caribbean cruising by Norwegian Cruise Line under Knut Kloster.
According to NCLH, Kloster was born in Oslo, Norway, in 1929 into a shipping family. Under his direction, his family's company expanded operations to include a passenger voyages in Gibraltar and Morocco, piquing interest from Ted Arison, who invited him to come to Miami in hopes of getting Kloster to reposition his ship, the Sunward, to the Caribbean. The two formed Norwegian Caribbean Lines -- later renamed Norwegian Cruise Line -- in December 1966. The first sailing from Miami to Nassau would usher in a new era of cruising.
A brief history of modern cruising, published in 1998 in our 40th Anniversary issue, look back at the impact of leaders such as Knut Kloster.
NCLH said the main hall of its yet-to-open terminal at PortMiami would be named Kloster Hall in his memory, and it said it would introduce an annual team-member recognition award in honor of his humanitarian, environmentalist and innovative spirit.
"Knut Kloster's legacy lives on throughout the cruise industry with every new vessel that is launched and every new innovation that is introduced," said Del Rio.
"Mr. Kloster's biggest contribution to our company and the industry was his penchant for innovation, and I am proud to establish the Knut Kloster Team Member Award for Innovation, a $10,000 award to be presented annually to a shipside or shoreside team member who has consistently demonstrated our company's ideals of innovation."