A crisis is looming in superyacht crew availability as between 3000 and 4000 new recruits are sought to man yachts due to launch over the next 12 months. Industry research shows that there is US$1.5 billion worth of superyachts currently under construction but there are too few qualified crew to man them.

With the need for training at an all time high the Flagship Superyacht Academy based in Portsmouth UK and born out of Flagship Training Ltd, is offering accredited training programmes which, as the press release puts it, “mirror the absolute standards of the Royal Navy and are tailored to meet the industry’s specific needs”. Flagship was set up as a joint venture in 1996 by BAE Systems and the VT Group to supply training for the RN and other navies. They are capable of training entire crews.

Sir Tim McClement, the newly appointed managing director of the FSYA and a former Royal Navy Deputy Commander-in-chief-Fleet, was busy at the Monaco Yacht looking for business but judging by the activity at his booth it looked as though captains were queuing up to see him.

Uniquely the FSYA can access the Navy’s custom built training facilities including state-of-the-art fire fighting training facilities and a damage repair instructional unit. This is a sea survival simulator which dramatically replicates onboard flood damage situations. A complete range of high quality modules from chef training to advanced medical courses and ship management is available.

Tim McClement stressed that his training modules, which are all based on MCA requirements, put great emphasis on team building and complete crew integration, something that he believes is lacking aboard many large superyachts. Check out www.flagshiptraining.co.uk