PSA-L3.2

Security on a yacht: guests, contractors, marinas and yards

PSA-M3 · Recognise, report, apply · PSA-M3-A Spotting the signs, reporting fast, and security in the settings yacht crew actually work in.

A yacht is a **home, a workplace and a hotel**, and sometimes a building site. Each brings its own security problem.

Where this sits

Governing: REG Yacht Code Part A, Chapter 31; IMO MSC.1/Circ.1283; STCW Table A-VI/6-1. Builds on: L3.1. Next: Proficiency in Designated Security Duties.

Private or commercial, big or small

Yacht Legal position In practice
Commercial, 500 GT and over (REG Part A) Must comply with ISPS: SSP, SSO, CSO, ISSC Formal plan, trained crew, records
Commercial, under 500 GT ISPS not required Many run a proportionate plan and train crew anyway
Private, any size Outside SOLAS XI-2 IMO MSC.1/Circ.1283 gives voluntary guidance, with an appendix for pleasure craft; insurers and owners often expect a plan

Whatever the legal status, the risks are the same, and so is your job: stay alert and report.

Guests

Guests bring the highest-value targets on board: themselves. Security for guests means:

  • confidentiality: guest names, itineraries, cabin allocations and movements are shared on a need-to-know basis;
  • close protection officers: some principals travel with their own security team. Know who they are and how they fit with the SSP; they do not replace it;
  • visitors: guests invite friends aboard. They are still visitors, and the plan applies;
  • ashore: crew driving tenders or cars may be the only security guests have. Vary routines, and do not discuss plans in public.

CAUTION: Loose talk Most leaks come from crew being friendly: in bars, on social media, or to other yachts' crew on the dock. "Who's on board?" deserves a polite non-answer.

Contractors and day workers

Yachts use a lot of outside labour: detailers, varnishers, AV technicians, florists, provisioners, divers.

  • Every contractor is identified (photo ID), authorised (someone expects them) and logged.
  • Tool bags and deliveries are checked as the plan requires.
  • Access is limited to where they need to work; escort them into restricted areas.
  • Remind them of the yacht's rules on photographs and social media.

Marinas

Marinas are public places with a pontoon. Many are not ISPS port facilities, so the yacht's own gangway watch is the main control.

  • Raise the passerelle when nobody is on watch, or keep it watched.
  • Lock doors to the interior when the aft deck is open to the dock.
  • Know your neighbours' crews; they will tell you who has been hanging around.

At anchor

The swim platform, tender garage and tenders tied alongside are the easiest way aboard. At night: lift or lock boarding ladders, bring tenders aboard or light them, keep an anchor watch that includes the stern, and watch for unlit boats.

Shipyards and refit

Refit is when yachts are least protected: hundreds of contractors, systems isolated, doors propped open, CCTV off. Stowaways, theft and sabotage are all more likely. Access control, pass systems and rounds matter most when everyone is busiest.

TIP: The rule for everyone Uniform, confidence and a clipboard are not identification. Check politely, every time, and nobody competent will mind.

Practice questions

5 questions

recall · core

Which IMO guidance gives voluntary security guidelines for pleasure craft outside SOLAS XI-2? (a) MARPOL Annex V (b) MSC.1/Circ.1283 (c) ISPS Code Part A (d) MSC.560(108)

recall · core

Why can access control be more important for a yacht in a shipyard than in an ISPS port facility? (a) Shipyards are always at security level 3 (b) The yard may not have ISPS-level security, and many contractors come and go (c) Contractors are exempt from checks (d) The SSP is suspended in shipyards

recall · core

Which of these is a typical unprotected access point on a yacht at anchor? (a) The swim platform and tender garage (b) The engine room ventilation fans (c) The crow's nest (d) The anchor windlass

recall · core

How should guest itineraries and guest lists be treated? (a) As material for the crew group chat (b) As the port agent's responsibility only (c) As public information once the charter starts (d) As confidential, shared only with those who need to know

scenario · core

During a refit in a yard, a man in company overalls without a pass says he has been sent to check the fire detection system and heads for the bridge. What do you do? (a) Stop him politely, check his identity and authorisation with the chief officer or project manager, and escort him if cleared (b) Ask him to wait on deck but leave him unsupervised (c) Tell him the codes to the bridge door to save time (d) Let him through because he has overalls on

Independent study. xplor is not an accredited training provider and awards no certificate or Certificate of Competency. The Security Awareness Certificate of Proficiency is issued only after an MCA-approved or recognised course; this material does not replace ship-specific security familiarisation given by the SSO. AI-drafted content pending subject-matter-expert review.