SAMS Accredited Marine Surveyor
Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors — the leading professional body for marine surveyors in the Americas.
Our Story
Built on Independence. Driven by Expertise.
Barba Maritime Consultancy was founded on a conviction that yacht owners deserve counsel that answers to them alone — not to yards, brokers, or suppliers.
How We Came to Be
The Founding of Barba Maritime
Barba Maritime Consultancy LLC was established in Florida after more than two decades of hands-on work in the marine industry — surveying vessels, managing refits, and representing owners at boatyards across the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, and beyond.
The consultancy was founded on a straightforward observation: the interests of a yacht owner and the interests of a boatyard are not always aligned. Yards are businesses. They have schedules, margins, and preferred suppliers. Without an independent advocate in the room, owners routinely pay more, wait longer, and accept work that falls short of what was specified.
Barba Maritime exists to change that equation. We work exclusively for our clients. We have no yard affiliations, no supplier relationships, and no commercial interests that could compromise our advice. Our only obligation is to the owner — and to the vessel.
What We Stand For
Mission & Philosophy
“To provide yacht owners with the independent expertise and unwavering advocacy they need to make confident decisions — at every stage of ownership, in every port in the world.”
We believe that the best refit is the one that was planned properly, supervised rigorously, and completed to specification — not the one that was cheapest to quote. We bring that standard to every engagement, regardless of the vessel's size or the project's complexity.
What We Stand For
Guiding Principles
01
Independence
We have no commercial relationships with yards, brokers, or suppliers. Our advice is shaped by your interests alone — never by referral fees, preferred partnerships, or yard affiliations.
02
Rigour
We apply the same standard of scrutiny to a teak deck replacement as to a full structural refit. Details matter. Specifications exist to be enforced. We do not accept 'close enough'.
03
Transparency
You receive clear, written reporting at every stage. No surprises, no jargon, no ambiguity. If there is a problem, you hear about it from us — before it becomes expensive.
04
Loyalty
Once engaged, we are entirely on your side. We negotiate on your behalf, challenge yards when necessary, and protect your investment as if it were our own.
Qualifications & Memberships
Credentials
Our consultants hold professional qualifications recognised across the marine industry and maintain active membership in the bodies that set its standards.
IIMS Member
International Institute of Marine Surveying — globally recognised professional membership for marine surveyors and consultants.
ABYC Certified
American Boat and Yacht Council — technical standards certification covering marine systems, electrical, and construction.
USCG Licensed Master
United States Coast Guard Master Mariner licence — demonstrating practical seamanship and vessel handling at a professional level.
Lloyd's Register Approved
Approved surveyor status with Lloyd's Register for condition and pre-purchase surveys on vessels up to 500 GT.
20+ Years Field Experience
Direct, hands-on experience managing refits and conducting surveys across the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Northern Europe, and the Pacific.
Why It Matters
The Case for Independent Counsel
Most yacht owners engage a boatyard directly and trust the yard to manage their own work. That arrangement has a fundamental flaw.
01
Yards manage their own interests
A yard's project manager works for the yard. Their priorities are the yard's schedule, the yard's margin, and the yard's relationships with subcontractors. Your priorities — quality, budget, timeline — are secondary.
02
Specifications drift without oversight
Without independent supervision, scope creep is common and specification compliance is rarely enforced. Work gets done to the standard the yard finds convenient, not the standard you contracted for.
03
Costs escalate unchecked
Change orders are a yard's most profitable line item. Without an independent reviewer, owners routinely approve changes they don't fully understand, at prices they haven't negotiated.
04
Independent counsel pays for itself
In our experience, the cost of independent consultancy is recovered many times over through better pricing, enforced specifications, and avoided disputes. It is not an overhead — it is an investment.
Work With Us
Ready to Have Someone in Your Corner?
Whether you are planning a refit, evaluating a purchase, or navigating a difficult yard relationship — we are ready to help.
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