FRANCE VS. THE EUROPEAN UNION — WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT VAT, page 12
May 2013 ■ www.dockwalk.com
ESSENTIAL READING FOR SUPERYACHT CAPTAINS AND CREW
A Safe
Haven?
What to consider when
choosing a marina
THE PLIGHT
OF THE PLANET
Are you doing your part?
TALKING TRASH
The practicalities of MARPOL Annex V
ECO-TECH
Innovations that make a difference
PLUS: The Loro Piana Caribbean Superyacht R&R: p22 ■ The Azimut Benetti Yachtmaster: p24
DOCKWALK.COM MAY 2013
28
A SAFE BERTH
What to look for when you’re shopping superyacht marinas
S
uperyacht programs invest substantial money and training in keeping current with the maritime regulations governing safety at sea. But safety at the dock is an
equal priority for most owners, captains and crew — and that can be more difficult to
control. The good news is that today’s top superyacht marinas are striving to meet or
exceed local, national and international fire, security and environmental standards to provide
you and your yacht with a safe berth and peace of mind.
West Palm Beach firefighters train at Rybovich marina and shipyard
“Safety is a non-negotiable requirement in our business, and we spare no expense in ensuring the wellbeing
of our guests, workforce and sub-contractors,” says Mario Byrne, marketing director for Rybovich marina
and service yard in West Palm Beach, Florida. “It is a standard expected from a professional industry.”
While all the marina staff members surveyed for this article made similar statements, before tying up in
a new marina, it’s important for a yacht captain to learn as much as possible about the facility’s policies
and procedures. Here’s a look at how some superyacht marinas are working to protect you — as well as
the amenities they have added to attract and keep your business.
© Gary Felton; courtesy of IGY
Fire
Yacht Haven Grande marina (bottom), St. Thomas, USVI
29 MAY 2013 DOCKWALK.COM
Beyond hurricanes, which weather forecasters
now can give us a fairly advanced and accurate
heads-up, fire is perhaps the scariest threat to any yacht
docked in a marina.
Flames can spread quickly when boats are tied up near
one another. A recent example occurred at the Portosole
facility in Sanremo, Italy, last summer. According to news
reports at the time, at 4 a.m. on August 29, a fire broke
out aboard the 75-foot Pershing Ibris and soon engulfed
its neighbor, Manhattan, a 79-foot Maiora. Manhattan
was towed out of the marina in an effort to contain the
blaze, but ultimately sank, as did Ibris at the dock.
A similar incident took place in Grove Harbour
Marina in Miami’s Coconut Grove district in December
2011, when a rapidly spreading fire caused severe to catastrophic damage to four yachts ranging up to 88 feet.
Once again, a burning boat was towed away in order to
stop the fire’s spread.
In both cases, quick thinking by first responders effectively prevented more boats from catching fire as flaming vessels were separated from those as-yet unharmed.
An article on recent yacht fires released by marine
insurance company Pantaenius warns that the most
dangerous fire is one that goes undetected: “Unmanned
marinas or marinas without the required infrastructure
play a part in the unfolding drama of a fire.” In addition to maintaining a vigilant crew presence aboard
your yacht, it’s important to check on what Pantaenius
terms “the required infrastructure” of a prospective
marina in terms of fire preparedness. Here are some
aspects to consider:
⊲ Dockside Equipment: At Westrec’s Sunrise Harbor
Marina, a superyacht basin accommodating yachts up
to 200 feet in Fort Lauderdale, all the docks have fire
Courtesy of AIG Private Client Group
By Louisa Beckett
cabinets containing fire hoses and fire extinguishers
within easy reach of the yachts berthed there, along
with fire hydrants on the upland side of the marina.
“The hoses need to be pressure-tested every five years
and replaced if needed. Portable fire extinguishers
are hydro-tested every year,” says Marina Manager
Brad St. Coeur. In addition, he says, Sunrise Harbor
has a portable fire pump that is tested every 30 days.
“Everything else is inspected [by Broward County]
once a year.”
“Yacht Haven Grande Marina (YHG) is equipped
with some nice emergency safety features like automatic fuel shut-off switches, a dedicated fire-fighting
golf cart and nearly two dozen high-pressure freshwater fire hydrants located throughout the dock,”
says Gili Wojnowich, general manager of the Island
Global Yachting marina in St. Thomas, USVI, which
berths yachts up to 450 feet.
⊲ Internal Training: Regular marina staff drills are as
essential to fire prevention as maintaining the proper
equipment. “Training your employees to detect,
respond and clean up from these sorts of emergencies
while focusing primarily on the life safety of others is
crucial to being ready…,” says Wojnowich, adding,
“Another important thing to keep in mind is that
the majority of yacht crew around our facility retain
an STCW’95 certificate…so along with our trained
staff, there’s often a variety of resources available to
assist in the event of an emergency.”
“Our staff is trained yearly to prevent fires from
expanding,” says Gabriel Ley, marina manager of
Marina CostaBaja, which accommodates yachts up
to 200 feet in La Paz, Mexico. “…Every drill, we find
new ideas and feedback from the experience of new
employees or a different trainer for these tasks.”
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Paradise Village Marina
Courtesy of Paradise Village Marina
A Safe Berth
⊲ Training with Local Agencies: Many marinas take fire
safety to a new level by training with local authorities
and other first responders. Byrne reports that Rybovich not only complies with all fire safety codes and
standards required by state and local authorities, but
it also partners with local fire departments to implement fire safety training programs. “The local fire
departments do on-site quarterly tours of the facility
to familiarize themselves with access points, hydrants
and fire mains on the docks and in the shops,” he says.
In November 2012, Rybovich collaborated with
AIG’s Private Client Group and Resolve Maritime
Academy, which provides shipboard and yacht firefighter training, to hold a special three-day training session for the local West Palm Beach Fire Rescue Department in how to fight fires in marinas, boat basins, yacht
yards and on board vessels. STP shipyard in Palma,
Spain, hosted a similar training event at its yard with
the local fire department, the Balearic Islands port
authority, the civil authorities and the harbor police.
Many urban marinas are part of a greater whole,
working in tandem with other maritime facilities in the
port. “Every year, we are required to present our emergency plan to the Barcelona Port Authorities, as it forms
part of the general emergency plan for the entire Barcelona Port,” says Javier Adame, risk director at Marina
Port Vell, which will berth yachts up to 590 feet upon its
completion in September 2013. “Marina Port Vell staff
participate in an emergency training course that covers
accidents from fires, sinking boats, personal accidents,
oil spills, etc. We do on-site simulations to observe and
assess the hazards and risks that they could face.”
Security
It’s essential to ensure that the owner’s multimillion dollar vessel and its water toys, guests
and members of the crew (not necessarily in that order)
will feel and actually be safe while in the marina,
whether it’s located in an urban jungle or on a tropical
island. Thieves and vandals are not the only potential
30 MAY 2013 DOCKWALK.COM
threats when it comes to the superyacht world, of course.
A marina’s security also should safeguard as much as
possible against intrusive onlookers and paparazzi.
Just as on a yacht, a closed-circuit camera system can
be an important security asset for a marina. “In the last
years, we have increased the number and upgraded the
camera system on site,” Ley says. “We have electronic
access control systems set up to each dock and cameras
[on] all the gangways, including a new PTZ camera, to
have a bird’s-eye view of the outer basin and entrance to
the marina for better traffic control.”
Just as with fire safety, security procedures are regulated by local, state or international maritime authorities
in many marinas. “Rybovich provides round-the-clock
security,” says Byrne. “We are now under MARSEC
(Maritime Security) guidelines enforced by the U.S.
Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security because of the size of the vessels [berthed here] and
their fuel capacity. The Coast Guard observes security
drills at our facility every three months and a security
exercise annually.”
Many of the marinas accommodating superyachts
comply with the International Ship and Port Facility
Security (ISPS) code. “Marina Port Vell has been an ISPS
facility since 2007,” says Adame. “After September 11th,
it was unanimously agreed that new legislation needed
to be developed to protect vessels and port facilities, and
this came into effect in 2004.”
Wojnowich, who says Yacht Haven Grande also
complies with ISPS, comments, “…this comes with a
variety of mandatory security operations that must
function properly 365 days each year. Although this
can be a costly and challenging venture for us to carry
out, we take pride in providing a high level of safety for
our guests and the multi-million-dollar vessels that call
YHG home for months at a time.” Wojnowich adds, “As
the needs of our facility and guests evolve, we continue
to revise our security procedures and conduct a variety
of exercise drills. Close monitoring, documentation and
communication amongst all employees and guests is crucial to the success of any security operation.”
Environmental Stewardship
When you’re choosing a new marina, particularly
for a long-term stay, its overall appearance can be
a big part of its appeal, especially for yacht owners (and
lack of appeal if the water or the facilities are dirty).
Most marinas must comply with local, regional, national
and, frequently, international standards governing their
environmental practices, but it’s usually easy to see when
they voluntarily go the extra mile.
“We were designated a Clean Marina by the Florida DEP [Department of Environmental Protection]
in 2003,” says St. Coeur of Sunrise Harbor Marina.
A Safe Berth
dard ISO 14001 and EMAS [European Union Eco-Management and Audit Scheme].”
To find a list of the Clean Marinas in a particular
U.S. state, visit the website for that state’s Department of
Environmental Protection. For a list of Blue Flag Marinas, visit www.blueflag.org. You also can download the
smartphone app.
Yacht Haven Grande Crew Olympics
Thomas Boyd
Services & Amenities
The Clean Marina Initiative is promoted by the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
throughout the U.S. and is implemented by individual
states. In order to earn the Clean Marina designation in
Florida, a facility must voluntarily adopt a set of practices
designed to protect Florida’s waterways, addressing issues
such as sensitive habitat, waste management, storm-water
runoff control, spill prevention and emergency preparedness. “When you think you’re ready, you contact the DEP
and they have a team that does a walk-through,” says
St. Coeur, recent chairman of the Florida Clean Marina
Partnership and current committee member. “You either
pass or get a list of things to correct and try again.”
Rybovich also has been designated a Clean Marina by
the Florida DEP. “We are in compliance with the highest marina standards, including a no-discharge policy,
pump-out procedures and strict fueling procedures that
limit the risk of a fuel spill,” Byrne says. “Additionally,
we have a contract with a marine spill response company
in the event of an accidental spill.”
While Mexico does not have a voluntary environmental program for its marinas, Dick Markie, harbormaster
of Paradise Village Marina in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico,
asked a neighbor to help his facility earn its Clean
Marina designation. “We belong to the Clean Marina
Association of California,” he says.
Some marinas in other parts of the world proudly fly
the Blue Flag, showing that they, too, implement best environmental business practices. The Blue Flag Programme,
which is run by the nonprofit and non-government-affiliated Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE),
awards flags to marinas that comply with 24 criteria covering environmental education, water quality, environmental
management, safety and service. Blue Flag marinas must
re-qualify for the designation every year.
“In 2003, Marina Port Vell was awarded the Blue
Flag,” says Adame. But its managers did not stop there,
he adds. “…In 2010, [it earned] the Quality Certificate
ISO 9001, as well as the environmental awareness stan32 MAY 2013 DOCKWALK.COM
The little things that make a crewmember’s
life more comfortable and convenient when in
a marina can add up to a big advantage for the savviest
superyacht facilities. Here are some of the recent services
and perks offered by the marinas surveyed.
“When I started the megayacht section, I realized it
would be different than our regular customers, as their
needs would be more, more urgent, and diverse,” says
Markie, who recently added 23 slips accommodating
yachts from 100 to 240 feet to Paradise Village Marina.
“I assigned one of our office staff to be the megayacht
concierge. She did all the research required and has all
the megayacht needs covered at a minute’s notice,” he
says. “The crews are welcome to use all the same amenities as our hotel guests. We have a real hospital on site…,
spa, golf course, half mile of white-sand beach…lots of
restaurants, our own shopping center, a real yacht club
[and] a zoo specializing in large cats….”
Without a parent resort to draw upon, Rybovich created
its own on-site Crew Campus with a restaurant, business
center, swimming pool, fitness center, Wi-Fi and lounge.
One of the most popular amenities is the free shuttle service. “We offer dedicated shuttle vans that provide our
guests with complimentary transportation to local points of
interest,” says Byrne. “Our shuttles are heavily utilized by
crew, carrying approximately seventy to one hundred people daily and traveling over ten thousand miles per month.”
Yacht Haven Grande also offers crew staying in the
marina many amenities and specially organized social
activities; notably its now infamous Crew Olympics.
“These events provide a safe an convenient way for crew
to stay close to the marina, socialize with each other
and enjoy plenty of time off the yacht,” Wojnowich says.
“On any given day at YHG, it is not uncommon to find
many crew lounging by the private…swimming pool,
playing tennis and volleyball, or grabbing a workout in
our private fitness center. We are strong believers that
happiness transfers up the chain of command…if you
keep the crew happy, then the captain has one less thing
to worry about and the owner will know that his yacht
and crew are being well taken care of.”
Today’s superyacht marinas are striving to provide
you with a safe, secure berth and something more…
quality of life. DW