Professional Services

Good marine project management means smooth sailing

Rod Twitchin and his team at RTM have been operating in the commercial and leisure sectors of the marine industry for over thirty-five years. This gives us an unrivalled advantage to assess your requirements and professionally meet your needs expertly.

Our team have operational experience on all types of marine vessels, of all construction methods and materials and firsthand experience with boat yards and repair facilities the world over.

Scroll down to peruse more information or contact us to discuss your next marine project, we look forward to assisting you!

RTM specialise in

Click on the services from the left hand menu for more information.

There are times when you are required to prove the value of your assets, including your boat.

Vessel valuations may be for financial, legal or taxation purposes, or in some circumstances, an insurance company requests a professional vessel valuation from a marine surveyor.

If you are importing a vessel from overseas, you will be required to prove the boat’s value for Australian customs purposes.

RTM’s technique offers a full condition appraisal to gain an overall condition of the vessel, valuation process and reporting. These valuations are supported by comprehensive reports (not tick & flick style) outlining the vessel’s condition, inclusions, and current valuation.

Contact us to book or to find out more information on our Vessel Valuations.

RTM offers a service to support most legal matters of a marine nature.

We use our very diverse background to assist clients within this field.

Our detailed and factual reporting style has been well-received in legal situations, which sometimes require physical presence to support these documents.We are happy to assist in any way required.

Contact us for more Expert Witness information.

After spending extended periods in refit and repair mode in various boat yards worldwide as Master or Engineer, Rod from RTM has been deeply involved in project management & consultancy on vessels from 20’ to 160’ for over 25 years.

Not only can we assist with project coordination, but more importantly, we can consult with owners, crews and trades (in a language they all understand) and share our sound knowledge based on actual industry and real-world experience.

We also have a vast network of reliable trades that can assist with any project of any nature when required.

Given our rich history in this field, we have defined a sound set of best practices and procedures for our Marine Project Management projects of all sizes.

Here’s how it works:

We start with a consultation to determine your desired objectives and outcomes.

For every project we undertake, we create a clear plan with attainable project milestones while managing costs, time, and scope by:

  • Agreeing on a clear set of objectives from the outset.
  • Setting achievable milestones. These will be documented in a simple manner and outline where the project is at, where it should be, what’s been done, and what still needs to be done.
  • Developing an estimated time frame and budget.
  • Risk planning.
  • Gaining formal approval to begin work.

Upon approval:

You hand over the helm of your project to RTM. While you continue with your personal lifestyle and business, we will be accountable for accomplishing our agreed project objectives.

We organise everything, including liaising with your chosen boat yard to book travel lift, hard stand, shed hire etc. where required.

Reporting:

We provide you with regular updates and status reports. RTM is dedicated to this key communication element.

We generate photographic reports of progress which provide you with real-time, easy-to-read reports (we know you’re busy) depicting project progress. They are complete and thorough, with no hidden surprises.

The benefits of utilising RTM’s Project Management services:

  • One point of contact
  • RTM is all about adding value to your project, not unnecessary expenses. All quotations and invoicing from the repairers will be addressed directly to you for payment (not through RTM). This offers full transparency and no price markups by RTM, who will only invoice for time accrued.
  • Due to our countless miles at sea, including ocean crossings, we have an in-depth understanding of the work required to ensure your vessel operates safely at sea (not just in the safe haven of the marina).
  • We know you have a timeframe in mind for your project completion. This will be our priority whilst keeping your budget on track and maintaining quality control.

Contact us to discuss how we can assist you with your project.

More times than not, time is accrued diagnosing the fault as opposed to fixing it, adding additional charges to the vessel owner. This is where RTM uses their many years of experience to assist the client.

We can travel to your vessel, discuss the fault with you and conduct in-water testing or sea trials with the view of diagnosing the fault.

If a small rectification is required, we may be able to assist you there and then, alternatively, connect you with a repairer that will be able to assist.

This service has assisted many clients over the years and has often saved them a lot of wasted time, money and stress.

Contact us for more information.

It is required by law that all commercially registered vessels have a Safety Management System (SMS). This is commonly called the vessel’s β€˜Bible’.

The SMS is a tool that’s used for helping to keep people and vessels safe. It is a set of documents that outline how to operate a vessel safely, how to manage and control risks, how to handle an emergency, necessary training, record keeping and more.

RTM has assisted many commercial operators by offering our expertise in setting up their SMS and formalising the document into a bound folder.

Our Safety Management Systems meet the requirements set out by AMSA (Australian Maritime Safety Authority).

Given our strong history and experience working aboard commercial vessels as both Master and Engineer, coupled with our commercial accreditation as a Marine Surveyor, we have the perfect match of experience and qualifications to assist you through this challenging process.

We consult with the owner and crew to develop a tailor-made document that will meet the requirements outlined by AMSA (Australian Maritime Safety Authority) / MSQ (Maritime Safety Queensland). This will ensure your onboard safety and maintenance procedures/scheduling are well documented, ensuring persons aboard are safe and that the upkeep of your vessel will be well managed.

When MSQ requires operational Monitoring, RTM will also be present to represent our document and consult with the crew and MSQ as or if required.

Contact us to discuss your Safety Managment System.

If you’ve purchased a vessel, it is highly recommended to put together an Operations Manual.

Unfortunately, it’s common, especially on older boats, for there not to be an Operating Manual, or for the existing manual to be damaged, unreadable, or the manual no longer reflects the current state of the vessel due to re-fit works.

We provide Vessel Operations Manuals for any size vessel for private or commercial use, that are:

Unique to your Boat

Our customised bound vessel Operations Manuals are tailor-made for each vessel. That means every manual we produce is made specifically for an individual vessel, it’s not a generic manual for a type of boat.

Easy to read

We make sure our manuals read well, and each operations guide includes colour reference photos offering you sound knowledge about the entirety of your vessel. With our vessel Operations Manuals, you’ll be able to confidently master your vessel.

Comprehensive

We leave nothing out! Our manuals provide details about Systems and Procedures, Basic Seamanship, Rules of the Road, Vessel Handling, Safety, and Maintenance. Plus, much more.

Affordable

Our handbooks can be customised to your budget, starting with our tailored basic publication. We can expand from there and build in additional, more in-depth content if you require.

Contact us for more information on our Vessel Operations Manuals.

client feedback

Having used Rod at RTM twice in the last 12 months regarding two separate vessels.

First, was to compose an Operations Manual for the 88ft Monte Fino β€œMV SAHANA”, the second occasion was for a Pre-Purchase Survey of the 100ft Sunseeker β€œMY COLETTE”.

He has a wealth of experience and knowledge of the engineering and systems involved in running these larger vessels. Rods back up and availability for further questions and assistance in running these vessels has been most valuable to me.

I thoroughly recommended Rod for his professionalism and knowledge in the marine industry.
Professional Services | Ships | RTM - Rod Twitchin Marine
Dave Savery
Operations Manual & Pre-purchase Survey
Rod recently acted for me as both surveyor and superintendent in relation to engineering works on my yacht.

His level of commitment, knowledge and professionalism is outstanding. You are in safe hands with Rod.

I would thoroughly recommend Rod Twitchin to anyone needing marine construction or engineering works.
Jeanneau Pre-purchase Marine Survey Gold Coast - Rod Twitchin Marine
Greg Richards
Pre-purchase Survey & Project Management

For more information on any of our Professional Marine Services, please contact us.