Celebrity Cruises announced that Kyriakos “Kirk” Matragkas will take the helm of the Celebrity Xcel when the ship enters service later this year.

Currently under construction at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in France, the LNG-powered vessel is set to debut in November.

Celebrity highlighted that the captain has a “legacy rooted in seafaring tradition and a magnetic personality.”

Matragkas was born in Piraeus, Greece, and began his maritime career as a boy alongside his father. He later graduated from the marine academy in Hydra.

Now serving the brand for 25 years, he joined Celebrity Cruises in 2000 as part of the launch crew for the Celebrity Millennium.

According to the company, as Celebrity Xcel’s captain, Matragkas brings decades of experience to the ship, as well as a dynamic spirit.

Off duty, he’s a snowboarder, guitarist, drummer and avid reader, Celebrity added.

As the fifth ship in the company’s Edge-class, the Celebrity Xcel is set to welcome its first guests in early November.

Sailing from Fort Lauderdale, the 3,260-guest ship offers two short cruises to Mexico and the Bahamas before embarking on a series of weeklong cruises to the Caribbean.

The seven-night itineraries visit destinations in either the Western or the Eastern Caribbean, sailing to the Cayman Islands, the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, and more.

In 2026, the ship is scheduled to make its European debut, offering a series of cruises in the Mediterranean departing from Spain, Greece and Italy.

The 140,600-ton vessel is then set to take over Celebrity’s itineraries out of Miami, offering a series of six- to eight-night cruises to the Caribbean from the port during the 2026-27 season.

Following the Celebrity Xcel, the company is set to welcome a sixth Edge-class ship to its fleet in 2028.