Project Manager

Building or refitting a superyacht is a huge undertaking regardless of previous industry experience, yet some owners may challenge the hire of a dedicated project manager (PM) as an unnecessary cost or additional chain of command to slow decisions down. 

An effective yacht project manager is the lead of any new build, refit, repair or conversion project or shipyard period; there is often a project manager or management team acting on behalf the owner, the client project manager, and another acting on behalf of the shipyard.

Often described as being the owner’s eyes, a client project manager acts solely on the owner’s behalf. He or she will identify any issues that might complicate or threaten the owner's vision and guide it to the best of their means to suit their client and avoid difficulties.

Constructing a brand-new superyacht, or refitting one, is rarely ever plain sailing right the way through, for often projects will last several months, if not years, and once things start to go wrong, they can easily gather momentum and quickly turn a superyacht dream into a nightmare.

No doubt, most have heard of those routine superyacht refit projects that have been planned to last a few months and cost a relatively small amount, yet due to poor project management see costs doubled, along with the refit time sometimes resulting in the owner trying to sell the yacht and abandoning their dream.

The benefits of hiring an experienced client project manager or project management team are therefore countless – especially for a first-time owner.