The technical documentation of a superyacht.

An in.depth look curated by Riccardo Fregara, owner of F3 Studio, a Genoa-based company specialized in rafting technical documentation for superyachts. Article originally published on Superyacht24.it The "technical documentation" of a superyacht refers to a series of manuals and documents required by government agencies, international standards and the various classification societies, including RINA and ABS. These documents explain how to operate the complex systems found onboard a superyacht and the procedures to be followed to navigate safely.

They also include procedures for dealing with emergency situations, such as an electrical failure, as well as maintenance procedures for technical areas like the engine room or the hybrid propulsion system.

Often overlooked and underestimated, these manuals are a valuable resource for owners, captains, crews and shipyards, capable of ensuring the correct operation of a superyacht and, ultimately, reducing costs and environmental impact.

In most cases, shipyards choose to outsource the drafting of this documentation to ensure compliance with all applicable rules and regulations, provide clients with easy-to-understand material and, ultimately, speed up the process and reduce the workload of the technical office.

Riccardo Fregara, owner of F3 Studio, a Genoa-based company specialized in drafting technical documentation whose clients include some prominent names in Italian shipbuilding, including Azimut Benetti, Baglietto, Sanlorenzo and Tankoa, explains that "onboard a 70-meter superyacht, there are approximately 400 components and their related use and maintenance manuals. However, these manuals refer exclusively to individual devices, not to the system designed and built by the shipyard that integrates them. This operational information is found in the Operating Manual: a guide specific to each superyacht that details what has been built by the shipyard, the safety procedures and the instructions for correctly operating the vessel, as well as the Register's requirements." Reading a bilge pump manual is quite different from understanding how the bilge system designed and built by the shipyard actually works. The task of companies specialized in drafting manuals is to make this information identifiable, clear and understandable. To make the work of captains and crew easier, it is important that these documents have a very practical approach.

The Operating Manual also proves essential for training onboard personnel, especially when a handover with previous crew members is not possible.

Another fundamental aspect of technical documentation is maintenance plans. A good preventive maintenance plan can reduce operating costs, improve reliability and limit the vessel's environmental impact. Thanks to proper maintenance, the superyacht will pollute less, its components will have a longer useful life, and the vessel will have a higher resale value in the future.

Correctly specifying routine maintenance procedures in the manuals also offers significant advantages to the shipyard. By enabling the crew to become self-sufficient in the most common maintenance operations, it is possible to reduce the number of interventions and calls to the shipyard's assistance service.

In addition to being a regulatory requirement, proper drafting of technical documentation therefore offers numerous benefits for everyone involved: owners, captains, crews and shipyards.

With the introduction of new onboard technologies, including green propulsion systems, and the emergence of new regulations, particularly in the safety and environmental fields, these documents are becoming increasingly numerous and specific.

Following an now-unstoppable macro trend, these manuals are also becoming digitized: Fregara explains how NFC technology makes it possible to instantly access the various manuals drafted by F3Studio, including the SOPEP, Garbage Management Plan, SEEMP, Cyber Security Management Plan, as well as onboard equipment manuals, eliminating bulky amounts of paper onboard the vessel.

F3Studio has also recently launched YachtServ, an app capable of managing technical documentation and maintenance plans. Currently in use on the most recent superyachts built by Tankoa, Baglietto and Benetti, the app allows for the management of the scheduled maintenance plan, access to all onboard documentation, and also includes videos to facilitate the training of onboard personnel.