Wednesday, January 24, 2018 - 09:38 by ce-press
A multi-million pound contract to refurbish Azamara Club Cruises’ Azamara Pursuit in April has been won by a Newry firm, MJM Group. It will project manage the docking, berthing and refit of the Azamara Pursuit at Harland & Wolff in Belfast this April and the ship will make its maiden voyage in August.
The company, which employs 240 people, said it would be one of the first major refits of a cruiseship in a UK drydock. Chief executive MJM, Gary Annett is quoted by BBC News as saying: “The success of this project has the potential to be a game-changer for the UK maritime industry. By securing this multi-million pound contract we are putting Northern Ireland, and the UK’s marine industry in a strong position to compete for future drydock and refit works.
"To secure the Azamara project we had to demonstrate that we had the ability to provide complete project management, outfitting, berthing and shipyard services. With Harland & Wolff on our doorstep and our experience in the industry we were able to do this.”
MJM Group can list all of the world’s top cruiselines as clients, including Star Cruises, with which it signed a seven-figure contract last year for work in China. The family-run business was established in 1983 and also owns Mivan in Antrim.
Tony McAuley, business development executive Belfast Harbour, commented: “This is big news for Belfast and a testament to the hard work that has been going on behind the scenes. This should be a significant catalyst for cruise activities in this little corner of Europe and we look forward to many more ships coming this way for refit and drydock.”
