Established in 2014 as part of the McCue Crafted Fit brand, McCue Marine was created as a new venture to serve the marine interiors market. Ahead of the brand’s exhibit at Cruise Ship Interiors Expo, we caught up business development manager Stephen Mills.


Stephen Mills, McCue Marine

Hi Stephen. Can you tell us about your current role and key responsibilities?

As business development manager at McCue Marine, my role is to generate new business for McCue within the cruise ship, ferry and yacht interior refurbishment market. I am also responsible for managing McCue Crafted Fit’s entry to the maritime interiors fit-out business, Transforming Space into Place. Some of my key responsibilities include meeting with cruise lines on a regular basis and engaging with designers to ensure they have the confidence to engage with McCue Marine, based on our cruise and land-based experience delivering five-star hospitality, spa, and retail projects.

When the opportunity arose to work with McCue to launch its new marine venture, I jumped at the chance!

What inspired you to join the company?

With extensive experience in the marine industry over the last 25 years, ranging from overseeing product managers, ensuring customer satisfaction, securing repeat business and generating new turnover, I wanted a new challenge. When the opportunity arose to work with McCue to launch its new marine venture, I jumped at the chance! McCue is an extremely reputable company due to its 65 years in the industry working with many high-profile clients and they have a vast knowledge of the fit-out industry. I haven’t looked back since.

Can you tell us about a project you are particularly proud of and why?

One of my proudest and McCue Marine’s most prestigious projects was working on the luxurious Queen Mary 2, Cunard’s flagship liner. McCue Marine had the opportunity to work on the iconic ocean liner over a 25-day period where we fitted out various areas including the upgrade of the Queen’s Grill and Princess Grill Restaurants, in addition to the Queen’s Grill Lounge and three outlets in the Mayfair Shop area. We also remastered the former Todd English Restaurant into The Verandah Restaurant, a private dining area for foodie guests wanting something with an alternative twist. The multi-million-pound drydock was carried out in Hamburg, Germany and was a fantastic project to be involved in, as well as being the start of a great relationship between McCue Marine and Carnival UK.  

Within the marine industry, we have to maximize the little space we have.

What do you need to consider when designing for the marine market?

One thing our team has to consider is the limitation of space within the marine projects. Unlike many other of McCue’s fit-outs ranging from hospitality to corporate and retail, within the marine industry, we have to maximize the little space we have. Luckily for McCue, our mantra is “Transforming Space into Place” and we have executed this exceptionally well throughout our 65 years.

We also need to remember that for many cruise passengers, their space onboard a ship will be a home-away-from-home, regardless of the duration, so we need to ensure that space is one where they will be able to relax as well as enjoy the experience. In that sense, the marine market is no different from our fit-outs within the many other sectors we work in.

The cruise ship refit market is estimated to be worth £2.3 billion per year, with an average of 89 ships being refitted per year.

Are there any key opportunities or challenges your company faces at present?

The cruise ship refit market is estimated to be worth £2.3 billion per year, with an average of 89 ships being refitted per year. With these stats, there are lots of opportunities for McCue to continue to make our mark as a high-quality and expert marine fit-out company. With all bespoke joinery work undertaken at our 60,000 sq. ft. workshop in Carrickfergus, we have easy access to land, sea, and air and our expert team can execute any fit-out within a record-breaking time. 

Can you tell us about any upcoming industry trends?

I feel that one of the main trends in the cruise interiors industry this year, as mentioned previously, is ensuring that the onboard space is one where the passenger can be fully immersed in the luxury and experience of being on a cruise ship. While a visitor chooses to spend their time at sea as opposed to a five-star hotel, they still expect the same, if not a better, experience, and therefore we need to maintain that requirement through the design process, the products we use and our manufacturing capability.

In three words, how would you describe the cruise industry in 2019?

Evolving, luxurious, expanding.

We’re looking forward to having the opportunity to meet suppliers and existing & prospective customers during the expo. We would like to connect with designers and cruise lines and hope to further our knowledge on the current state of the cruise industry, as well as picking up information on future trends.

Thanks for speaking with us today. Finally, who are you looking to meet and what do you hope to achieve at Cruise Ship Interiors Expo Miami?

We’re looking forward to having the opportunity to meet suppliers and existing & prospective customers during the expo. We would like to connect with designers and cruise lines and hope to further our knowledge on the current state of the cruise industry, as well as picking up information on future trends.