Ever wonder why our vessels carry the “Spirit” suffix?
February 27, 2017
What’s in a Name?
Teekay’s founder Torben Karlshoej was responsible for “Spirit” being added to the name of all Teekay ships. During negotiations for the acquisition of the Sanko Prestige in 1985, his counterpart maintained his bargaining position in a way that the Japanese refer to as “Yamato Damashi” (Yamato spirit). Impressed, Torben accepted his proposal and subsequently named the vessel the Yamato Spirit. Later when asked why he chose to continue to use the suffix, Torben replied, “Because of them,” pointing to a group of officers. “As long as there’s a Teekay emblem on the funnel, that’s how it will stay.” And the rest is history.