Yachting glossary

Advance Provisioning Allowance (APA)

The Advance Provisioning Allowance (APA) is money a charterer pays on top of the charter fee to cover the variable costs of a crewed yacht charter, such as fuel, food, drinks and berths.

MYBA charter agreement

The MYBA charter agreement is the standard contract used for most crewed superyacht charters, published by MYBA (The Worldwide Yachting Association).

Yacht operating budget

A yacht operating budget is the yearly plan of what it costs to run a yacht: crew, maintenance and refit, insurance, berthing, fuel, management fees and other running costs.

Designated Person Ashore (DPA)

The Designated Person Ashore (DPA) is the person in the management company who monitors the safety of each vessel and has direct access to the highest level of management, as required by the ISM Code.

International Safety Management Code (ISM Code)

The ISM Code is the IMO standard for the safe management and operation of ships, requiring a documented Safety Management System ashore and on board.

Non-conformity (NC)

A non-conformity is an observed situation where the evidence shows that a requirement of the Safety Management System, the ISM Code or a regulation has not been met.

REG Yacht Code

The REG Yacht Code is the safety and construction standard for large yachts registered with the Red Ensign Group flags, such as the UK, Cayman Islands and Isle of Man.

Safety Management System (SMS)

A Safety Management System (SMS) is the set of written policies, procedures, forms and records a yacht and its company use to operate safely and meet the ISM Code.

Certificate of competency (CoC)

A certificate of competency (CoC) is the qualification that allows a seafarer to serve in a specific officer or engineer role, issued by a flag administration under STCW.

Hours of rest

Hours of rest are the minimum rest periods for seafarers set by the MLC and STCW: at least 10 hours in any 24-hour period and 77 hours in any 7-day period.

Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC 2006)

The Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC) is the ILO convention that sets minimum rights for seafarers, including contracts, wages, hours of rest, accommodation, food and medical care.

STCW Convention (STCW)

STCW, the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, is the IMO convention that sets minimum training and certification requirements for crew.

Class survey

A class survey is an inspection by a classification society to confirm that a yacht still meets the rules of its class for hull, machinery and equipment.

Flag state

The flag state is the country where a yacht is registered, whose laws and administration govern the yacht’s safety, crew certification and inspections.

Planned maintenance system (PMS)

A planned maintenance system (PMS) schedules and records all routine maintenance on a yacht, based on calendar intervals, running hours and manufacturer recommendations.

Running hours

Running hours are the operating hours recorded on machinery such as main engines, generators and watermakers, used to schedule maintenance that depends on use rather than time.

Automatic Identification System (AIS)

AIS is a radio system that automatically broadcasts a vessel’s identity, position, course and speed to nearby ships and shore stations.

Critical spares

Critical spares are the spare parts a yacht must always carry on board because a failure of that equipment would stop the yacht or affect safety.

Par level

A par level is the minimum quantity of an item a yacht wants to keep on board; when stock falls below it, the item should be reordered.

Ship’s logbook

A ship’s logbook is the official record of a yacht’s voyages and events on board, such as positions, weather, drills, incidents and engine operation.