The ‘Azamara Pursuit’ arrived in Belfast on 4th April for a complete refit at Harland & Wolff. The work will be managed and supervised by the MJM Group.
The luxury cruise liner, which is managed by Azamara Club Cruises, a Royal Caribbean Cruise brand, will undergo a complete interior refurbishment, while docked at Harland & Wolff.
This refit is an unprecedented, potential game changer both for MJM Group and the global cruise ship industry, as it represents the first time a cruise ship owner has awarded complete project management responsibility to an individual organisation, the Group claimed.
It is also the largest project of its kind to be undertaken in a UK port for many years and offers the opportunity to reinvigorate the shipbuilding and repair industry in Belfast.
Gary Annett, CEO MJM Group, said, “We are delighted to welcome the ‘Azamara Pursuit’ safely to Belfast following its two-week journey from the Bahamas. Watching her berth at Harland & Wolff is the fulfilment of long held ambition of MJM Group founder and Chair Brian McConville to bring a project of this scale to Belfast. This truly is historic not just for MJM Group but for the marine industry and there is a real sense that the eyes of the marine world are firmly on us and on Northern Ireland.
“This has the potential to open up Belfast for further work of this scale and to offer a major boost to the local economy. At any given time in the next couple of months there may be up to 800 of our people and crew working on the ship. We want all of these people, if they are not familiar with this part of the world, to experience some of what Northern Ireland and Belfast has to offer,” he concluded.
Richard Twynam, Azamara Club Cruises Managing Director, UK and Ireland, added; “We’ve seen unprecedented support from the UK market for ‘Azamara Pursuit’, so we are delighted to show our recognition of this by allowing its transformational journey to take place here in Belfast. With the christening taking place in Southampton, and the maiden voyage departing from Southampton too, the UK is playing a key part in the ship’s story and so we’re thrilled that the refit is taking place at Harland & Wolff.”
Jonathan Guest, Director, Business Development & Improvement, Harland & Wolff, said, “We are delighted to be working with MJM Group in providing the berthing, support and other services for this fantastic project. We are all acutely aware of Belfast’s rich maritime history and it is great to be part of providing a major boost for this traditional industry here today.”
‘Azamara Pursuit’ will be docked in Belfast for several months while a full refit is carried out. She will sail for to Southampton at the end of July ahead of its maiden voyage from Southampton to Norway on 1st August, 2018.
MJM was also involved in designing some of the areas of the world’s largest cruise ship ‘Symphony of the Seas’.
The designer created the Ultimate Family Suite – a two-story, 1,346 sq ft suite for up to eight guests, which comes complete with a ‘Magic Door’ crawl space connecting two bedrooms and an exclusive slide on which guests can slide down from the top level down to the living room.
This suite also includes a private cinema, a floor-to-ceiling Lego Wall and a balcony with a table tennis, a full-size whirlpool, and an interactive 3-D vertical maze.
Other areas fitted out by MJM Group include Sugar Beach, paradise for those with a penchant for sweets and ice cream; Playmakers, paradise for sports fans; Starbucks, El Loco and Hooked.
