Harland & Wolff Wins Margaritaville's Third Cruise Ship Conversion

Margaritaville at Sea has selected Harland & Wolff for the conversion of its third cruise ship, refurbishing the former Costa Fortuna of 102,587 gross tons ahead of a January 2027 introduction, and has separately announced it will homeport a ship in Galveston.

The line launched in 2022 with one ship sailing from the Port of Palm Beach and has expanded steadily since. In 2024 it selected the Belfast yard to convert the former Costa Atlantica into its second vessel, and has now confirmed the yard, since acquired by Navantia, for the third conversion as well.

Margaritaville acquired Costa Fortuna in 2025 and takes delivery within weeks. The ship makes its final cruise from Piraeus from 4 to 11 September before handover. Built in 2003 by Fincantieri, she is 272 metres in length with 1,358 passenger staterooms, accommodation for approximately 2,700 passengers and over 1,000 crew, and is the largest of the line's three ships. She is scheduled to relaunch in January 2027.

Harland & Wolff describes the contract as the largest investment in a cruise ship revitalisation for the yard since it was relaunched under Navantia UK. The multi-million-pound project could generate approximately £40m for the Belfast region through the repair yard, its facilities and workforce, and a large contractor force working on the ship.

Northern Ireland-headquartered Rathbane Group reported earlier this year that its companies MJM Marine and Mivan would execute the refurbishment across a 12-week dry dock period, covering public spaces, accommodation and exterior work, with sandblasting and repainting in the line's colours. The scope includes the central atrium, spa, children's facilities, specialty dining venues and nightclub. Both companies worked with the yard on the 2024 conversion.

The Galveston Wharves Board of Trustees voted unanimously on 25 August to accept an agreement with the line, which will launch weekly Friday sailings from October 2027 under a one-year agreement with options for two further five-year terms. Margaritaville becomes the seventh line to homeport in Galveston, already the fourth largest US cruise homeport with a projected 446 sailings in 2026 and a forecast 3.9m passenger movements this year.

Navantia handles repairs and maintenance for more than 200 vessels annually across the group, with over 100 major cruise ship projects handled at its Cadiz yard. It puts the overall ship repair market at more than $38bn, and notes that Belfast offers two of the largest dry docks in Western Europe and more than 1,300 metres of berths.