MJM Marine has been appointed as the main outfitting contractor by Norwegian Cruise Line for the refurbishment of Norwegian Joy as the company repositions the ship to North America, according to a press release. 

MJM Marine will play the lead role in the design, manufacture, installation and project management of the interior refit of the ship, which is being moved to the Alaska market this summer after a year and a half in China. 

It is another big project in the global drydock market, which is worth about $3 billion annually, according to the 2019 Drydocking and Refurbishment Report by Cruise Industry News.

Gary Annett, CEO MJM Marine commented: “Norwegian Joy is MJM Marine’s largest contract to date and will involve a team of 1,400 people completing works in over 40 spaces throughout the ship.  Planning, design and manufacturing has been underway for many months in preparation for installation start date.  We are exceptionally proud to be awarded this contract, which we see as a reflection of the strength of the partnership which we have built with Norwegian, It is confirmation that MJM Marine is respected as a world leading global marine outfitter who can and will deliver on projects of this size and scale.”

“Norwegian Joy will be very similar to sister ships Norwegian Bliss, which launched just last year, and Norwegian Encore, which will make her debut this November,” added Colin Gant, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Vice President of Vessel Refurbishment. 

“It is a challenging and complex project which is large in scale and short in time, requiring meticulous planning and execution by a top tier outfitter to see it through. We are delighted to join forces with MJM Marine who has been a reliable partner of ours since 2015. “

Work will begin onboard Norwegian Joy on March 11 China with completion on April 21 in Seattle.

“The design, planning, manufacturing and logistics for the project started at our headquarters in Newry, Northern Ireland.  Our team will join the ship in China and sail to Singapore where the drydock will take place before making its way to Japan.  Works will continue at sea as the ship makes its way to Seattle in the Unites States, where we will hand over the new look vessel before our team returns to Northern Ireland,” Annett said. 

Following the refit, Norwegian Joy will embark on a series of cruises to Alaska before repositioning to Los Angeles.

Photo (left to right): Brian McConville, Chairman MJM Marine is pictured with Colin Gant, Vice President of Vessel Refurbishment Norwegian Cruise Line and Gary Annett, CEO MJM Marine.