A well-oiled machine

The technical project manager and his opposite man are the individuals that are ultimately responsible for the refit; they are responsible for all the documentation and decision-making. Ultimately, it is their role to get the project out on time, on budget and to the quality standards required. But, it is the role of the technical manager and operational manager to liaise with the crew and the other stakeholders that might be involved. It is the role of the financial manager, who will work closely with the operational manager, to oversee decisions that will impact budget.

The processes for the flow of information must be adhered to by both the shipyard and owner’s team to ensure that decisions are made in a timely manner, these decisions will ultimately have a profound effect on whether or not a given refit is likely to be completed on time and on budget.

“Far too often on projects we have seem teams structured in such a way that you would think they are opposing one another rather than supporting each other,” explains Jacqueline Lyne, director of Watermark Yacht Management. “We have noticed particularly with less experienced captains that the build process can become competitive and fall into points scoring if the two teams do not respect each other or respect the lines of communication and decision making that were put in place to avoid such issues.”

Unlike a new build project, it is also important to remember that, save for the very largest and most complex refits, the crew may still be living on board and, therefore, IMS and ISPS requirements must be adhered to. It is therefore essential that the operational manager from the owner’s team remains extremely close to the project throughout given that they will be reviewing various budgets and making sure that the refit budget does not beyond what is feasible and that the completion of the project is on track to allow the superyacht to begin its cruising itinerary when originally planned. The operations manager will work closely with the project manager and captain to ensure that the vessel will slip seamlessly into full operations once the refit is complete.

“Certainly the one of the things that strive for when working with quality shipyards like Amico is to try and develop a slightly more strategic approach to refit and maintenance because the key to keeping the boats operational is refitting and preplanning. If you’re if you’re in a situation where the boat is just stumbling blindly from season to season, it is going to end up very bad for the owner and the boat,” explains Bryan.

That being said, while extensive pre-planning is invariably preferable, one of the areas where the world’s premium shipyards are able to distinguish themselves from the competition is their ability to work in a flexible and accurate manner in the instances where a high-level of pre-planning was not available or where works that had previously not been highlighted are required. It is in these instances that the relationship between the yard and the owner’s team is particularly vital. Without clear lines of communication and mutual respect, challenging works that require a high degree of skill and flexibility will become even more challenging,

As superyachts continue to grow in size and complexity so to do the refits. As refits become increasing large and challenging, excellent management and communication have become an essential part of the process and shipyard teams and owner’s teams need to work harmoniously.