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24-hour emergency line — existing clients and vessels in distress only.
Please enter your vessel name to continue:
Call now, any time:
+64 (0)27 355 6673Send a quick note and I’ll get back to you. Fields marked * are required.
Contracted DPA services for vessel owners, operators, and yacht management companies — including out-of-hours backup cover for organisations whose primary DPA is based in a different time zone.
ISM Code Regulation 4 requires every company operating a vessel subject to the ISM Code to designate a person ashore — the Designated Person Ashore (DPA) — who has direct access to the highest level of management and serves as the link between the company and those on board. The DPA must be accessible at all times and must have the authority and resources to ensure the safe operation of each ship.
For smaller operators and single-vessel owners, maintaining a full-time in-house DPA is often neither practical nor cost-effective. A contracted external DPA provides the same function — full ISM compliance, genuine 24-hour accessibility — without the overhead of a permanent hire.
Most established yacht management companies base their primary DPA in Europe, the Mediterranean, or the Caribbean. New Zealand and Australia sit 11 to 13 hours ahead of European time — which means that when it is 0200 UTC (the middle of the European night, when a Monaco or Antibes-based DPA is asleep and unreachable), it is already 1300 to 1500 the following afternoon in New Zealand.
A vessel in the South Pacific with a welfare or safety concern at 0200 UTC cannot reach a sleeping European DPA — but can reach a NZ-based backup DPA in the middle of their working day. Contracted backup DPA cover closes that gap properly, providing a named, qualified, accessible contact during the European overnight without requiring your primary DPA to be woken at 0300 their time.
Full DPA function for a vessel or fleet: named DPA in the SMS, direct access to owner/operator management, 24-hour accessibility, ongoing oversight of ISM compliance, and liaison with flag state/RO on the company's behalf. Typically structured as a monthly retainer.
Named backup DPA covering the European overnight — typically 1800–0600 UTC, which corresponds to NZ/Australian business hours. Escalation point for the vessel when the primary DPA is outside hours. Full handover protocol with your existing DPA, recorded in the SMS. Monthly retainer.
Short-term DPA cover during a management change, company restructure, or while a permanent DPA is being recruited. Fixed-term contract with a clear handover protocol.
Book a free 15-minute call to discuss your vessel’s requirements and what a retainer arrangement would look like.