MARITIME GROUP, LLC. We Advise, Create, and Manage Opportunities on Oceans & Rivers
We Advise, Create, and Manage
Opportunities
on Oceans & Rivers
We Advise
We Manage
We Find Partners
We know the
Global Ocean and River
Cruise & Ferry industry inside out.
The industry knows us and trusts us.
ADVISORS
Ted L. Sykes
Cruise Insider
Bruce Setloff
Cruise Guru
Alexander Panagopulos
Shipowner - Entrepreneur
With 28 years experience in cruise Ted knows this industry. Until 2018 he was the President & COO of American Queen Steamboat Company where he turned the company from significant loss ($7.5MM) in 2012 to EBITDA of $24MM in 2018.
Ted made his entry into deep sea cruising as the CFO and then Managing Director of Royal Cruise Line. This was followed by launching the cruise shipping division of Saga Group in England, where he served as CFO and Managing Director from conception to full operation. Later he became the CFO of The Vantage Group and of Viking Tours and Viking River Cruises. Between 2010 and 2012 he was the CEO of eWaterways.
Ted Sykes got his start in the travel industry through finance; before diving head first into travel he was a partner with Young & Rubicam, Inc. and Landor Associates.
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Currently, Ted advises Supercruises.com
Known by industry colleagues as the “Cruise Guru,” Bruce is a highly respected and experienced cruise industry executive with over 40 years of expertise working with great companies such as Royal Cruise Line, Royal Viking Line, Saga Cruises, Seabourn, Cunard, SeaDream Yacht Club, Azamara Club Cruises and Crystal Cruises.
His vast background with cruise line startups/newbuilds and operations, plus his years of experience in Hotel, F&B, Shore Excursions, Passenger Services and with stellar Sales and Marketing records in chartering vessels, has always been highly praised by many of his esteemed clients and throughout the decades.
Bruce was most recently at Crystal Cruises as the Global Vice President of Charter sales and Special projects, where he contributed to launch of newly branded Cruise ships, Yachts and River vessels sailing the Oceans and Rivers of the world.
Presently, he is advising Supercruises.com, and has consulted with companies such as Scenic Cruises, Emerald Waterways, Riviera Travel, Atlas Ocean Voyages plus many other River and Ocean operations about their rebuilding and/or restructuring, due to the latest major new expansion opportunities that prevail.
Alex fell in love with ships and the sea with Royal Cruise Line, the company his dad founded in 1972. Ever since he has always been involved with cruise ships, ferries, and “anything at sea”.
He co-founded Superfast Ferries in 1993 under Attica Group, a Greek-listed entity. As CEO of Superfast Ferries and the Attica Group, he led the growth of the company with 17 passenger ferry newbuildings, an orderbook of over £1.5b, and led the successful expansion of Attica Group into a 25-vessel and 5-million-passenger-a-year company with routes in Greece, Italy, Finland, Germany, Scotland, and Belgium. In 2006 he closed the sale of Attica Group’s Baltic Sea operations and in 2007, after negotiating and closing the sale of the family's participation in Attica Group to Marfin Investment Group, he founded Arista Group, and Arista Shipping.
Alex currently heads Supercruises.com, the first all-online booking site for cruises.
He has also led the founding of Forward Ships and this made him known as the first environmental activist shipowner.
â’¸ 2024 by Maritime Group LLC