MJM Marine has said business is picking up and the specialist cruise ship interior outfitter is hiring for 50 positions. 

The new roles it wants to fill include jobs as designers, technical engineers, contract managers, assistant contracts managers, project planners, and other support roles, the company said.

Many of these roles will be based at the company headquarters in Carnbane Business Park, Newry.

Gary Annett, CEO, described the last two years as “challenging for the whole cruise industry” but said that “as things continue to recover with vaccinations and new technological advances, the industry is adapting and moving forward, and we are delighted to be a part of that journey.”

During the pandemic, MJM struck up new partnerships, developing innovative products to expand their offering in the marketplace. One of those was a partnership with Vyv, a company which makes antimicrobial lighting. 

The company said that the main Brexit issue for it has been its inability to hire staff from across Europe, an area in which it traditionally competed for skilled employees with other marine suppliers in countries like Italy, Germany and Spain.

As part of its international expansion, MJM has now opened up an office in the Polish shipbuilding city of Gdansk.

In addition, the company wants to add to its staff in Newry.

MJM’s Human Resources Director, Elizabeth O’Connor, said the company is “looking forward to seeing ambitious and talented people joining our team over the next few months as we continue to grow and expand at an exponential rate.”