Bigger superyachts are leading to more business for crew trainers, according to according to yacht crew trainers.

More yacht officers than ever before are upgrading their qualifications due to the bulging size of superyachts, they say.

If yacht officers hold a restricted certificate of competency such as the officer of the watch or chief mate (Yachts less than 3,000 GT), this will hinder their job prospects due to the increasing demand for 3,000 GT+ yachts, says Lars Lippuner, Director at Warsash Superyacht Academy.

“We see many yacht officers returning to upgrade their yacht restricted certificates of competency to full ‘Unlimited’ merchant navy qualifications, a demand driven by the increase in the number of yachts above 3,000 GT and yachts coded to the Passenger Yacht Code (PYC), which all require officers with unlimited certification,” he points out.

This growth would have been evident at one of last year’s most prestigious yachting events, the Monaco Yacht Show. Visitors would have seen the average length of the boats on show was 47 m, 15 m bigger when comparing it to the to 32 m average when the event first started, he adds. 

The increase in both the number and size of yachts has also meant more crew course bookings in general with Warsash reporting “big year-on-year increases in the numbers of students of up to 50 per cent”.

This is because quite simply there are more yachts to look after, requiring more crew.

Lars concludes: “Upskilling from crew to officer’s rank, and from restricted to unrestricted officer’s qualifications continue to be factors that drive increased yacht sector demand for maritime education and training.”