Harland & Wolff Wins Beachcomber Refit for Belfast Yard
The former Costa Fortuna is due to make its first PortMiami call on January 9, 2027, after work on its atrium, spa, specialty restaurants and exterior.
Harland & Wolff has secured its largest cruise ship refurbishment project in Belfast since Navantia Group acquired the yard in January 2025, with Margaritaville at Sea’s future flagship Beachcomber due to arrive in September 2026. The conversion is expected to generate about £40 million for the Belfast region through yard activity, local labor and supplier contracts.
The planned 12-week dry dock will be Harland & Wolff’s second conversion for Margaritaville at Sea following its 2024 work on Islander. Beachcomber will become the operator’s third ship and is scheduled to enter service from PortMiami in January 2027.
A shipwide conversion in Belfast
Beachcomber is the former Costa Fortuna, which will complete its final Costa Cruises voyage from Piraeus between Sept. 4 and 11 before being handed over. Margaritaville at Sea acquired the vessel in 2025.
Built by Fincantieri’s Sestri Ponente yard in Genoa in 2003, the 102,669-gross-ton ship is 272.19 meters long and has 1,358 cabins. It can carry 2,716 passengers at double occupancy, with a maximum capacity of 3,250 guests, and has a crew complement of 1,068.
The conversion will cover passenger accommodations, public areas and exterior work, including sandblasting and repainting. Planned interior projects include the central atrium, spa, children’s facilities, specialty restaurants and nightclub.
Belfast-area contractors MJM Marine, Mivan and Madden Marine will perform substantial portions of the work. MJM and Mivan also participated in the conversion of the former Costa Atlantica into Margaritaville at Sea Islander.
“Their work on Islander demonstrated the quality, craftsmanship and expertise required for a project of this scale, giving us the confidence to return,” said Minas Miliaris, chief maritime officer of Margaritaville at Sea.
The cruise line began operations in 2022 with Paradise from the Port of Palm Beach and added Islander at Tampa in 2024. Beachcomber will be the largest vessel in its fleet.
Navantia expands cruise repair work in Belfast
Harland & Wolff’s Belfast facility has two large dry docks, more than 1,300 meters of deep-water quayside, unrestricted tidal access and heavy-lifting infrastructure. Navantia is transferring cruise repair expertise from its other yards to Belfast, with specialists working alongside UK teams on production planning, project execution and quality systems.
“Being selected for a second major vessel from the Margaritaville at Sea fleet demonstrates the trust that international cruise operators have in our facilities,” said Graham Couser, director of ship repair at Navantia UK.
Navantia Repairs services more than 200 vessels annually across its shipyard network. Its Cadiz yard has completed more than 100 major cruise ship projects.
PortMiami deployment takes shape
Following the refurbishment, Beachcomber is scheduled to operate year-round cruises of three to eight nights from PortMiami to the Caribbean and Bahamas.
Miami-Dade County has approved a preferential berthing agreement with Margaritaville at Sea that is projected to generate about one million passenger movements and at least $23.15 million in guaranteed revenue during its initial term. The agreement includes parking and marketing incentives, along with a 50% reduction in applicable port fees for qualifying non-peak-day or evening calls.
The initial contract runs through April 30, 2031, with two optional five-year extensions subject to mutual agreement. It is due to take effect with Beachcomber’s first PortMiami call on Jan. 9, 2027.
