BELFAST shipyard Harland and Wolff has joined forces with another company to win a £5 million contract to refurbish the P & O cruise liner, the Arcadia. Harland and Wolff's partner in the enterprise is Mivan Marine, which is based in Crumlin, Co Antrim, and is part of the Mivan group of companies.

The Arcadia, which was built in 1989 and is currently operating with P & O's sister company in the US under the name of the Star Princess, is due to arrive at the Belfast yard in November.

Mivan's work on the interior of the vessel will include the refurbishment of the cabins and dining area, and the construction of two new bars. Harland and Wolff will meanwhile begin cleaning and painting the hull, as well as carrying out a complete mechanical overhaul.

The director and general manager of the company's Ship Repair and Marine Services subsidiary, Mr Jim Eccles, said that this was the first contract to be carried out under a joint venture agreement with Mivan Marine, which was signed by the two companies in February.

"We are very pleased that it has been placed by such a prestigious name as P & O Cruises," Mr Eccles said. "The agreement was formed specifically to target this sector of the market, and offers the owners of cruise liners and passenger ships a one stop shop for repair and refurbishment. It is more cost efficient for the companies, and reduces the cost to the owners.

The chairman of the Mivan Group, Mr Ivan McCabrey, said that the agreement would prove to be beneficial to both companies.

"The fact that we have won such a major contract so soon after deciding to jointly market our abilities makes us very optimistic about our chances of landing other similar contracts," he said.

One of The advantages of the Star Princess contract is that it is close to Mivan's base in Co Antrim, unlike most of its work, which is in overseas ports.