What is a Planned Maintenance System (PMS) for yachts?

A PMS defines scheduled maintenance intervals for every major system onboard: main engines, generators, steering, electrical, safety equipment, hull, and rigging.

ISM requirement: commercial vessels must maintain a documented PMS aligned with manufacturer recommendations and classification society requirements. Records of maintenance activities are mandatory.

Key components: equipment registry (all critical systems with manufacturer specs and warranty status), maintenance schedules (intervals by engine hours or calendar time), work records (who did the work, parts used, next service due), and defect reporting (how outstanding items are tracked and escalated).

For non-ISM yachts: a PMS is not legally required but is strongly recommended. Insurance policies may require evidence of systematic maintenance. A documented service history significantly affects resale value.

Practical implementation: paper systems technically comply with ISM requirements but are difficult to audit and search. Digital systems allow instant reporting of service history, automatic reminders, and photo attachment for parts evidence. PSC inspectors expect organized records they can review quickly.

The most common gap: maintenance log exists but lacks photographic evidence of replaced parts, making it difficult to prove work was completed rather than recorded retroactively.