Per Hard has been named as the new captain of the Mein Schiff 3, TUI Cruises has announced on its website.

The Swede has been onboard the Mein Schiff fleet as a staff captain since October 2018 and is looking forward to his new role.

“I will have more contact with the guests, which I am really looking forward to. Overall, the biggest change is of course the overall responsibility for the safety of the guests, the crew, the environment and the ship,” he said.

He believes his best quality is the ability to listen to his colleagues: “The input from my colleagues is important to me and I also take it into account. I firmly believe that everyone does a better job when they know that their opinion counts.”

Born and raised in Stockholm, Hard used to go sailing every summer and remembers wanting to become the captain of a cruise ship since he was 13.

His hometown is also his favorite destination.

“Not only because it’s my hometown and birthplace, but also because of the many small islands, the houses and the quiet places – just beautiful. I can never get enough of the archipelago – they are always fantastic, no matter what the season. My favorite thing is winter with ice, snow, -2 ° C and blue skies,” he said.