Operational guidelines for superyacht facilities, in general, include the same elements as considered nec- essary for small craft facilities. However, additional requirements are considered necessary due to the specific demands dictated by superyachts – from the vessel needs to the captain and crew, as well as the yacht guests and owners. Operational criteria and guidelines are necessarily more subjective than physical requirements (dock dimensions, utilities, draft, fairways, etc.) This is due to differences in re- gional and local laws and regulations, customs, environmental factors, etc. However, the common theme
with superyacht facilities, above and beyond small craft harbours, is the need to manage the facility with a customer-focused approach. Attention to provide the best possible service is critical to attracting and re- taining customers. This is not dissimilar from levels of service expected in 5-star hotels and resorts, when compared with perhaps 3-star facilities.
Past experience shows that expectations of support services and facility features to be an attractive ma- rina are the same for the vessel’s crews, owners and guests. In general, the key requirements include: • Service and attention (concierge-based management)
• Convenient access to airports with good connections
• Personal security and protection from surge/winds at the dock • Dependable shore power
• Convenient access to restaurants, shopping and entertainment • Ease of port clearance – customs and immigration
• Convenient and quality ship chandleries/provisioning facilities and reputable repair offerings • Dockside potable water and communications
• Aesthetics/natural beauty or social fame of the surrounding area
9.1. types of facilities and general features
The support services and amenities that a superyacht marina provides will have a great effect upon the overall success of the facility, particularly regarding maximising the potential for transient vessel visita- tions. Given the ever-expanding number of facilities worldwide, any proposed marina should offer yachts- men a reason to visit the facility other than only for dockage.
As discussed in Section 4.4, a superyacht marina is typically classified as a homeport or destination facil- ity. The type of facility ultimately established the amenities and upland space required for the marina to attract and retain its target market.
A homeport facility is where a vessel is anticipated to berth for more than several days at any one time, or where the vessel returns frequently for provisions, service, passengers, etc. The duration that a supery- acht stays at a homeport facility will vary with locations. For example, in the Caribbean the duration is typi- cally about one week during the peak winter season, while in Mediterranean countries the berthing time at a homeport may be at least three months or the full winter season. Depending on the duration of the stay and the location of the facility, the vessel’s crew may require separate amenities from the amenities provided specifically for the vessel’s owner and passengers. Facility features and support services that are typically found at homeport marinas include:
• Operations Building: Manager’s office, accounting office, conference room, concierge desk, restrooms and showers, laundry/dry cleaning, passenger lounge, boat maintenance and repair, bank/ATM, busi- ness center, Customs and Immigration office (if available), staff locker room
• Captain and Crew Lounge/Recreation: Crew bar and lounge, restrooms, fitness centre and outdoor rec- reation, such as a pool, tennis court, or half-court basketball
• Provisioning: High-end/gourmet ‘mini supermarket’ or remote concierge type office for ordering/deliv- ery
• Ship’s Store (minimal): Marine apparel, supplies, charts, bait and tackle, etc.
• Yacht Club: (optional): Depending on facility owner’s programme and club offerings
• Long-term Storage: Rental units may range in size from about 2.5 to 15 m2 (27 to 160 sq ft), depending
on the size of the marina and vessels. Superyachts that are 100+ m (330+ ft) may require up to 120 m2
A destination facility is typically classified as a marina where a vessel will typically spend a limited duration, about a week, at the berth. This type of facility will likely provide limited amenities compared to those at a homeport marina. A destination facility typically will provide or be located near entertainment and upland amenities for the vessel’s owner and passengers only. While vessels are berthed at a destination marina, the crew typically stays on board to attend to the owner, passengers and/or charter guests. Occasionally an owner and passenger will request a longer stay to enjoy day trips away from the facility, which may al- low the crew to enjoy the area’s pools, bars and restaurants.
There are no specific guidelines for the size of each of the required/recommended amenities and are usu- ally customised for each type and location of facility. Specific requirements are typically determined during detailed project planning which should involve the facility owner/developer, planner, market consultant, marina consultant and operations management.
9.2. staffing and Marina Management
The perception of any marina is typically a direct reflection of the marina staff. While tolerance for less than perfect physical infrastructure may occur, such is not usually the case with marina staff. In addition, many superyacht facilities – unless they are homeports – are seasonal and thus careful attention must be paid to customer service during the peak season.
Goals of superyacht marina staffing:
• Develop staff policies, manuals and procedures for various service levels. • Hire and train staff for the highest levels of service.
• Design and develop uniforms appropriate for each segment of service delivery. • Establish strict employee to patron ratios for the desired level of service.
• Select, train and motivate staff in the detailed delivery criteria for the targeted service areas. Staff train- ing should be rigid to ensure a high level and quality of service. Each shall have appropriate require- ments for level of protocol, demeanor and comportment. Each of the staff should be required to maintain pagers or appropriate electronic communication and access devices while on duty.
The Harbour Master or General Manager that will be responsible for the facility and staff will set the tone and level of customer care and service. The Harbour Master/General Manager must be experienced in dealing with the needs and requirements of superyachts and focused on customer satisfaction. The number of staff to support the Harbour Master/General Manager will require more staff than for a small craft facility to attend to the many needs of the larger vessels especially during the peak boating season. In severely seasonal locations, staffing may vary throughout the year. The number of staff may range from 3 to 5 for a small marina to over 50 for a large marina. However, a well-organised staff can deal with a large marina in high season even with a reduced staff. The following identifies typical staff requirements and responsibilities.
harbour Master/general Manager
• Overall management of marina • First responders in emergencies
• Weather warnings and navigational hazards to captains
• Primary customer service representative – deals with captains and vessel owners, facility ownership group
• Staffing and supervision of staff • Budget development and execution • Contract review/approval
• Multi-lingual where necessary
• Oversees safety, insurance and risk management on site • Vessel traffic services
assistant Manager/Dock Master
• Supervised by General Manager (second in command)
• Performs daily management of staff, arranges work schedules • Oversees maintenance (including daily dock walks/inspections) • Inspection and maintenance of utilities (including fuelling) • Solid waste collection management
• Security management • Service/Repair coordination • Front desk supervision
• Coordinates with captains, crew and guests
• Responsible for bookings and berthing assignments
Bookkeeper
• Reports to General Manager
• Daily receipts and profit and loss tracking • Accounts payable and receivable
• Billings for berth utilisation and power and water consumption
Dockhand(s)
• Reports to Dock Master • General dock duties
• Assists with incoming/outgoing vessel docking procedures • Trash removal
• Fuel dock
• Safety and emergency plan and equipment implementation • Cleaning of premises
• Delivery/valet services
• Backs up marina desk personnel and possibly chandlery
chandlery Manager
• Reports to General Manager
• Develops and manages store budgets • Manages merchandise display
• Inventory ordering and stocking • Credit card interface
• Staff schedules for store • Supervises all store clerks
store clerks
• Reports to Chandlery Manager
• Serves customers and handles front desk • Stocking and inventory handling
• Backs up marina desk personnel
• May be trained for most dockhand duties
Marina yard Workers
• Reports to Dock Master or Service Manager
• General cleaning, outside and inside (yard, landscaping, restrooms, etc.) • Valet/Delivery duties
• Emergency boat handler
• Cross trained in dockhand duties • Equipment upkeep and service
9.3. security, safety and privacy
A high standard of security is required at superyacht facilities due to the vessels’ owners and passengers and their investments. Although the public generally enjoys viewing superyachts, security measures at the marina shall prevent the public from direct access (i.e. touching, boarding) to the vessels. It is imperative that the vessel and its contents, crew and passengers will be secure 24 hours per day when berthed at the marina. Security measures at superyacht facilities may include controlled access using keypads or key access cards, closed circuit television cameras with night vision and recording capabilities, motion sensing lighting and manned security. In almost all situations, the security cameras should not be aimed into the vessels for maximum privacy. At some multi-use facilities, it may be desirable to have a separate berthing facility for superyachts from the smaller vessels.
A set of marina rules and regulations should be developed for each facility, specific to superyachts. This includes a health and safety plan, as well as an environmental code of practice for marina operations. Each nationality and locality has specific health, safety and environmental compliance and regulations that must be addressed. Signage and aids-to-navigation within the marina should be provided to assist boaters and maximise safety of guests and the public. The health and safety plan, as well as design of the facility, should include allowance for emergency vehicle (fire, ambulance, police) access to and where necessary, on the docks. This is usually requested by local regulations.
Other items that should be addressed by the safety plan include having readily available oil spill apparatus (floating boom, absorbent pads, etc.) Standard best management procedures include use of a floating oil boom around each vessel when fuelling. The safety plan should also address severe weather/cyclone conditions, operational (design) limits on vessels at berth, fire protection, emergency response, etc. Superyacht owners and guests are typically affluent and may be known personalities. Therefore, maximum privacy should always be assumed unless advised otherwise by the individual. For this reason, the arrival/ departure, destination(s) and other plans of the yacht guests are held in confidence by marina staff. In ad- dition, top facilities should be planned with their berths segregated by user type to maximise privacy for the superyacht guests, where practical. Superyacht docks should be, again to the extent possible, kept from general public access to minimise harassment and general foot traffic around the vessels and guests. Specific to security concerns of vessels and port facilities, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in December 2002 adopted a number of amendments to the 1974 Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention including The International Ship and Port Facilities Security (ISPS) Code. The ISPS Code was developed to prevent acts of terrorism that threaten the safety of passengers, crews and ships worldwide. The ISPS Code, effective 1 July 2004, states that all marinas that moor vessels over 500 gross tons will implement security infrastructure and practices to reduce the threat of terrorism.
In essence, the ISPS Code takes the approach that ensuring the security of vessels and port facilities is basically a risk management activity and that, in order to determine what security measures are appropri- ate, an assessment of the risks must be made in each particular case. The purpose of the ISPS Code is to provide a standardised, consistent framework for evaluating risk, enabling governments to offset changes in threat levels with changes in vulnerability. This risk management concept will be embodied in the ISPS Code through a number of minimum functional security requirements for ships and port facilities.
The ISPS Code is mandated in almost every costal country worldwide (approximately 160 countries). The Code only pertains to marinas that have superyacht capabilities. If the Code is not enforced in a particular country the prudent marina designer should develop the layout based on Code compliance for an easy transition if compliance is required in the future. ISPS compliant superyachts need to be kept segregated from the rest of the vessels using a physical barrier such as fences and gates. Separate fuelling operations may also be required. During the conceptual marina layout phase it is recommended that the local Coast
Guard Sector’s Prevention Office be consulted to ensure compliance. Non-ISPS compliant vessels cannot moor in ISPS compliant areas and vice versa.
It is the responsibility of the country/port to enforce the ISPS Code. The IMO cannot impose any penalties directly against the marina, but rather politically pressure the government into compliance. However, it has been apparent that most countries/ports are aware of terrorist threats and use ISPS Code compliance as a marketing tool.
Objectives and requirements of the ISPS Code are provided in a User Guide published by the International Maritime Organisation (2012).
9.4. provisioning, Deliveries, concierge services and reservation system
Superyachts are usually provisioned with food and related supplies while at homeport prior to departure of the cruise and at destinations, depending on the length of the cruise. Provisioning is provided by direct delivery from the stores, either locally or imported to the marina by air. As a minimum, golf cart and trailer or vehicle access should be available to the vessel stern for drive-up service of deliveries.
If shore side provisioning facilities at the marina is provided, the climate controlled storage capacity should be planned and designed to accommodate the size and number of vessels and the frequency of provi- sioning. For example, a 70m (230 ft) vessel with a capacity of 36 persons aboard (24 crew members and 12 passengers), will require approximately six standard shipping pallets, 1.2 m x 1.0 m (48 in x 40 in), of provisions per week for replenishment of onboard food and beverage supplies. This requires a minimum of 7 m2 (80 sq ft) of storage area per vessel based on a single-stack storage system, excluding service,
handling and access area for forklifts. The provisioning storage facility should provide approximately 25% frozen, 25 % refrigerated and 50 % dry storage areas.
For any/all items not provided or directly available on site, management should provide concierge type service to source and deliver any needs of the crew and guests of the vessels. Requests will typically come from crew. A good quality concierge approach will have relationships with typical sources to enable most any request. This may include such things as directions and maps to local points of interest; provi- sioning; nearby medical facilities; dinner reservations; replacement parts sourcing; directory of preferred maintenance providers; travel agency services; etc. The key is informed sourcing of any and all needs that the vessel crew or guests may require (i.e. if we don’t have it, we know where and how to get it – expedi- ently).
The marina’s reservation system should be an interactive, state-of-the-art and web-based system. This service can be used for any guest request and include the ability to provide advance-ordering so that spe- cial requests will be available upon guest/vessel arrival.
9.5. crew facilities
Superyacht marinas include amenities for the large number of crew members on vessels as shown in Figure 5.5. Crew facilities may range from a basic lounge area to recreation rooms to on-site residences. Stand-alone facilities are only deemed necessary where desirable activities and facilities for crew are not readily available in the surrounding community and/or where the possible simultaneous number of crew exceeds about a 100. Thus, designated crew facilities must be considered on a case-by-case basis. Typical crew facilities may include the following:
• Laundry
• Bathroom and Showers • Bar/Restaurant
• Gymnasium and Swimming Pool • Television/Movie Room
• Car Rental
• Navigation Chart Room • Apartment/Crew Quarters
• Recreation Activities (Pool Table, Cards, Ping-Pong, Tennis/Volleyball Courts)
Facilities that are attractive, upscale and popular with the crew also provide an incentive for the superyacht marina to be one of the destinations on the itinerary of a charter. Superyacht captains sometimes develop the routing and locations that appeal to the crew may be a factor on the facility selected, especially if there are several marinas in the vicinity.
9.6. solid Waste collection
Provisioning and daily operation of a superyacht while at berth can generate a significant quantity of solid waste requiring disposal. Solid collection facilities such as trash receptacles, dumpsters and recycling bins should be provided at the marina. Typically, trash receptacles with covers are provided at the berth, while dumpsters and recycling bins are located in areas that minimise visibility and are accessible by trucks for hauling the waste off-site.
The estimated quantity of refuse generated at each berth is a function of vessel size, number of crew and passengers and activities such as meals that occur onboard the vessel. For example, a 70m (230 ft) ves- sel with 36 persons aboard (24 crew members and 12 passengers) will generate between 70 and 120 kg (155 and 265 lbs) of solid waste on a daily basis, with approximately 60 to 100 kg (130 to 220 lbs) of dry garbage and 10 to 20 kg (22 to 44 lbs) of organic food material. Regardless of the quantity, the solid waste collection programme should be capable of removing and handling the refuse on a daily basis and should be scheduled at an appropriate time to minimise noise impacts.
9.7. Waste Oil removal
An on-site temporary storage facility for waste oil discharge and sludge provides an added support service value and environmental awareness at superyacht marinas, especially homeports. Waste oil consists of lubrication oil removed after service use in onboard machinery such as main engines, generators, auxiliary equipment, tenders and gearboxes. Sludge is a combination of waste oil, grease, contaminated fuel, or related matter. Once the waste oil and sludge is disposed into the onsite storage facility, a local bunker fuel vendor is used to empty the storage tanks.
The lubrication oil storage capacity aboard a vessel is a function of the machinery aboard. The waste oil tank capacity onboard the vessel is equal to the sum of oil sump capacities for the main engines, main gearboxes and main generators for one complete oil exchange. The waste oil tank and sludge tank either share the same tank or are two independent tanks. If the sludge tank is independent, the volume is gener- ally considerably less than the waste oil tank.
For superyachts ranging from 60 to 110 m (200 to 360 ft), powered by twin marine diesel engines and equipped with single stage reduction gearboxes and up to three generators powered by marine diesel engines, has a typical lubricating oil capacity of 1,500 litres (400 gallons). Thus, the waste oil and sludge onsite storage tank at the superyacht facility should allow for a typical discharge of 1,500 litres (400 gal- lons) per vessel. The overall capacity of the onsite storage tank depends on the number of vessels and the expected frequency and scheduling of the oil exchanges with the tank emptying by the local bunker fuel vendor.
9.8. parking
Superyacht facilities, primarily homeport facilities, require vehicle parking near the berth for the crew and