Ship management, gothenburg

Expert Management of Small Expedition Cruise Ships

Safe | Reliable | Quality

About us

Salén Ship Management is a small ship management company based in Gothenburg, Sweden. We specialise in ship management of small expedition- and destination cruise ships trading worldwide. We have collated experience from over 30 years of taking care of ships trading in the polar regions and other remote areas of the world, understanding the complex logistics and technical preparations necessary for a successful operation. From the ship owner’s perspective all the way to the guests experiences onboard. 

At Salén Ship Management we strive to run a hands-on operation with shore staff that include captains, chief engineers, bridge officers, hotel managers and pursers. All experienced and understanding of the life and work onboard. Some of them sharing their time between ship and shore. We believe in the small group where communication runs smoothly and quickly and where flexibility and ability to adapt to new situations is key.

At Salén Ship Management we take pride in keeping a classic fleet up to modern technical standard with the latest technical equipment when it comes to environmental standards yet maintaining the soul and character of the ship. 

Salén Ship Management is certified through Bureau Veritas, a member of the International Association of Classification Societies. As part of the expedition community, we take part in setting industry standards as an associate member of both the IAATO and the Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO).

Noble Caledonia offers amazing cruises onboard the ships we manage

Two of our three ships are on long term charter to Noble Caledonia, a London-based travel company specialized in small ship cruising since 25 years. Noble Caledonia provides unique cruises to remote destinations where only small ships like ours can venture.

If you want to cruise with the Island Sky or Hebridean Sky vessels please visit Noble Caledonia’s website by using the button below.

”For Noble Caledonia, the key component for a successful relationship with a ship management company is trust. There has to be complete trust that the management company has a thorough understanding of the requirements of the charterer, their budget and the technical aspects of the ships in question, in addition to valuing our reputation. We have been very fortunate to work with Salén Ship Management since their inception in 2009 and we have complete confidence in them. Our respective companies and personnel have grown together and gained expertise through shared experiences which is invaluable. The level of trust that we have built between our two companies allows us to focus our expertise on the consumer side of the operation in the knowledge that the ships are in the safest possible hands, and that is why we view Salen Ship Management as the very best option to manage our fleet; they are the small ship specialists.”

Tim Cochrane, Managing Director, Noble Caledonia Ltd

“Over the past decade we have been fortunate to work with Salen Ship Management for our Antarctic operations on the Hebridean Sky and Island Sky. We find that working with SSM is more of a partnership than a simple supplier/buyer relationship.

The ships are always well maintained, expertly staffed and professionally managed. Perhaps more importantly when the inevitable unanticipated issues arise we can always count on good cooperation and collaboration.

The Polar Latitudes team and SSM teams on board function as a single team and the result is a consistently superior product for our passengers.”

John McKeon, President/CEO Polar Latitudes

“Since being awarded the contract as Hotel Managers for Salen Ship Management onboard the Island Sky in 2009, sea chefs have been fortunate to be partners with Salen Ship Management in the growth of the fleet including the successful conversions and drydocks of both Caledonian Sky in 2012 and Hebridean Sky in 2016.

Salen Ship Management while a family company, operate the vessels they manage with a truly professional and very thorough ship management operation and provide the documentation, inspection routines and platform for the vessels to deliver quality and safety. The vessels are well maintained and well managed with a Safety First ethos that makes working together in a one team together professional ship experience, maintaining a one family onboard concept which is seamless for their partners.

We at Sea Chefs look forward to continued cooperation and ongoing excellent working relationship.”

Malcolm Cullen, Managing Director, Sea Chefs Cruises ltd

“As Hotel partners for the vessel under Salen Ship Management it has always been a pleasure to work alongside a company who invest their time and recourses in ensuring that the Hotel Department is in a position to deliver the high standard the company is well known for.

The cooperation between all onboard is excellent, communication is key for all partners and this we can taken for granted alongside the flexibility of both the team ashore in the Salen office and their Captains, Chief Engineers and whole technical team onboard which enables and provides the platform to have truly happy and safe vessels allowing the team onboard to deliver excellence.

It is a pleasure to work with Salen Ship Management.”

Ladislav Milanko, Hotel Operations Director, Sea Chefs Cruises ltd

“For close to a decade, APT has had the pleasure of working with Salen Ship Management both for chartered and owned Small Ship tonnage. Salen Ship Management have been the backbone of a successful APT’s Small Ship program operation and have ensured that guests NPS ratings have remained industry leading.

The expertise and experience that Salen’s team bring to the operation of these vessels is really second to none. These ships are run with a Safety First approach while ensuring an extremely enjoyable guest experience. The ships have constantly surpassed guests expectations about how well they are run, how well maintained they are and for APT it has meant complete trust can be put into Salen Ship Management knowing every detail will meticulously be taken care off. We could not recommend Salen Ship Management enough.”

Mladen Vukic, General Manager, APT Travel Group 

There is something about our crew…

and we value each and every one of them. On a small ship where everyone knows everyone, skill and camaraderie are equally important. All crew members onboard the ships we manage should feel part of the SSM-family. Benefiting from our small size and family-oriented core, we believe in promoting a nurturing environment where individuals are allowed to grow and develop their skills in-house. Promoting within our own ranks is a preferred option when there is an opportunity. We have seen sea faring professionals going all the way from Cadet to Captain on the ships we manage. Our philosophy is that crew members who enjoy working with us and return regularly to the same ship will see a personal interest in the ship, its maintenance, and the high expectations of our valued guests.

A high crew retention rate is the best review we can ask for.

Want to learn more?

We’d love to hear from you and are happy to answer any questions you might have.