Benetti places equal importance on its product excellence and that of the team which manages the yacht. It now proposes a new opportunity for ship-owners to take advantage of crew training services which are personalized for the individual crew’s requirements.

‘‘The yachting industry is rapidly growing and superyachts are becoming more complex, so it is important that owners attract and retain the right calibre of crew to make their yachts run to their optimal performance. However, availability of crew, trained to such standards, is becoming more of an issue’’ Explains Vincenzo Poerio, Benetti’s CEO.

Increasing mobility of crew and their rapid professional growth through the industry means there is little opportunity to consolidate experience. The charter industry subjects their crews to such demanding schedules that insufficient time is left for the preparation and understanding, required for proper handling and safety of the boat for boat. These are the main elements that motivated Benetti to invest its energies in identifying an excellent partner to jointly define a new service which will guarantee Benetti owners and captains a crew of the highest standards.

‘‘Our ultimate goal is to provide the owner with a fully tailor-made service. - adds Mr Poerio - We are already experienced in giving them the best yachts the industry can provide, but now we are aware that it must come with a fully competent crew otherwise their yachting experience could be compromised. We now have a suitable training partner to equip the crew.’’
One of Benetti exceptional partners has been identified in the Flagship Superyacht Academy: a worldwide leader for maritime training, whose highly specialised facilities and quality of instructors, add high value to the crew training they deliver. Flagship has a successful partnering arrangement with the UK Royal Navy which dates back to 1996 and has now transferred this experience to the superyacht sector, so that today it continues to serve both markets.

As a proof of the value that Benetti places on its new agreement, five of the shipyard’s representatives from the Aftersales Service were recently trained at Flagship. Over a week they improved they focused on the safety aspects of the yacht handling, developing their own safety management system.

The training objectives ranged from on board fire fighting, sea survival and first aid to studying how to handle a boat with a reduced crew, hospitality and yacht inspection.
"We wanted to give the team a fully rounded experience similar to the training we would deliver for a whole crew’ explains Sir Tim McClement, who heads up the Flagship Superyacht Academy.
“Our intention is to work closely with Benetti to raise the standards of crew training so that owners get the best out of their new yacht.
“With our successful partnering arrangement with the Royal Navy, we have the experience, expertise and facilities to deliver training that meets the standards Benetti yacht owners expect.
“What we offer is whole crew training that is tailored to the individual yacht’s requirements. The bespoke course will be designed to meet the specific needs of the captain and the crew; from whole ship training, for example fire fighting, man over board etc., through team building to specific courses for individual crew members like high voltage training.
“We also focus on personal awareness, social skills and leadership in order to create a cohesive and consistent performance from the entire crew.”

Editor’s notes
Flagship Training Ltd was formed in 1996 when a 15 year contract was signed with the UK Ministry of Defence for a unique partnering agreement with the Royal Navy. Flagship’s initial role was to market the Royal Navy’s training capability to overseas navies, related maritime customers and to industry as a whole. This role later grew to encompass the provision of a full range of support services to the Royal Navy training establishments.
Today, Flagship has evolved into a total training solutions provider, delivering a wide range of capabilities, including training technology solutions, support services, facilities management and construction services.

Flagship is a joint venture between BAE Systems and the VT Group and is head-quartered in Portsmouth, Hampshire. We currently employ 1,600 staff and have reported annual revenue in excess of £128 million. Further information can be found at www.flagshiptraining.co.uk

The Flagship Superyacht Academy was created by Flagship and is a based in the UK. It was launched at the Monaco Yacht Show back in 2007 to provide whole crew training which is tailored to individual yacht’s requirements. Its full range of accredited training programmes mirror the absolute standards of the Royal Navy and are tailored to meet the specific needs of owners, captains and individual crew members. Its mission is to provide the highest quality crew to the world’s most prestigious yachts.