Refit Project Management & Owner Representation in West Papua
Most refits in eastern Indonesia do not fail on workmanship. They fail on scope, sequence and
supervision — three things an absent owner cannot control from another country. Owner representation means somebody
technically competent stands on the slipway every working day, holds the yard to the written scope, and tells the owner the
truth about progress rather than the version that keeps the invoice moving.
What the role covers
- Scope definition. Converting “she needs a refit” into a numbered work list where each item is specific
enough to be priced, executed and inspected. Vague scope is the origin of nearly every disputed variation. - Condition assessment first. Before the budget is fixed: thickness or moisture readings, machinery hours
and history, coating adhesion, tank and structure condition. Unknowns are separated into a clearly labelled provisional section
rather than buried in an optimistic headline number. - Tendering and yard selection. Comparing quotations that are genuinely comparable, in USD, with the same
assumptions, exclusions and lay-day terms. A lower headline figure with day-rate extras and open-ended docking fees is not the
lower number. - Programme. A sequenced schedule, because in a refit the order of work determines the duration far more
than the labour count. Steel before blasting, blasting before paint, paint before reinstatement, machinery aligned after the
hull is back in the water. - Daily supervision. Attendance on site, progress against the programme, quality holds at defined stages,
and photographs of anything about to be covered up. - Variation control. No extra work starts without a written variation carrying scope, price and schedule
impact. This is the single discipline that protects a refit budget. - Owner reporting. A short weekly report with progress, spend against budget, decisions required and
photographs. Written so it can be read on a phone in a different time zone. - Handover. A complete job file, punch-list close-out, sea trial and a maintenance plan for the following
season.
Typical refit programmes
Liveaboard interior and guest-area renewal
Cabin joinery, heads and plumbing, air conditioning, soft furnishing, galley and guest-area refresh. Usually driven by
charter positioning rather than by condition, and usually best combined with a docking so that hull and interior downtime are
the same downtime.
Technical refit
Machinery overhaul, tankage, electrical distribution, navigation and dive-system renewal — the
engine,
electrical and
dive systems scopes running in parallel under one
programme instead of three uncoordinated visits.
Life-extension refit
Structural work that adds years to a hull: plate renewal on steel, fastening and frame renewal on wooden phinisi, tank
recoating, and a coating system reset. Scoped with the steel and GRP or
wooden hull desks.
Conversion
Workboat or fishing hull to dive or expedition vessel. The most commonly underestimated project type in this region, because
the naval-architectural consequences — stability after adding accommodation and a dive deck, tank arrangement, and the survey
implications of changing the vessel’s service — are frequently discovered after the steel is already cut. We insist on
addressing them first, and we will decline a conversion that has been scoped backwards.
How long a refit takes here
Realistic planning figures for the Sorong area, assuming the scope is settled before arrival:
| Programme | Typical duration | Main driver |
|---|---|---|
| Annual docking with routine work | 1–2 weeks | Coating cure |
| Survey docking with steel renewal | 3–6 weeks | Opening up and surveyor attendance |
| Interior and systems refit afloat | 4–10 weeks | Material lead time |
| Full liveaboard refit (hull, systems, interior) | 3–6 months | Sequence and parts supply |
| Conversion to dive or expedition service | 6–12 months | Design, stability and survey approval |
Add lead time for anything that has to arrive from Jakarta, Surabaya or Singapore. In West Papua the schedule is set by the
supply chain at least as often as by the trades, and any programme that ignores that will slip.
Why an owner’s representative pays for itself
A yard’s interest is a completed invoice. An owner’s interest is a vessel that does not come back next season for the same
work. Those interests overlap most of the time and diverge exactly where it costs money: the shortcut on surface preparation,
the substituted fastening, the “we can do that next docking” on an item that is already a condition of class. Representation
puts somebody in the yard whose only interest is the second one — and who is present when the plate is open, not reading about
it afterwards.
Cost structures, contingency levels and multi-year budgeting are set out on the
shipyard costs and refit budgeting page. Contracts for refit and
construction management are issued by PT Komodo Galangan Nusantara.
Talk to the repair desk
Send the vessel particulars — length overall, beam, draft, hull material, displacement, current location and the window you have available — and the Raja Ampat Shipyard Desk will come back with a written scope and a quotation in USD for refit management and owner representation. Quotations name the yard, the slipway or dock, the work sequence and the assumptions behind every line.
WhatsApp: +628113823875
Email: sales@komodoluxury.com
Contracts for construction, repair, refit and vessel-sale work are issued by PT Komodo Galangan Nusantara. All quotations are stated in USD.
Further reading from the field notes
- Planning a Refit Between Dive Seasons: A Timeline That Works
- Owner’s Representative: What They Do During a Yard Period
- Biaya Galangan Kapal di Raja Ampat dan Sorong untuk Investor
- How Long Does a Full Liveaboard Refit Take in West Papua?
Frequently asked questions
Can you manage a refit if I never come to Indonesia?
That is the normal case for this service. You receive a written scope, a comparable quotation in USD, a weekly progress report with photographs, written variations before any extra work starts, and a complete job file at handover.
How do you stop a refit budget from running away?
Three disciplines: a scope specific enough to price, a separated provisional section for anything unknown until it is opened up, and a rule that no additional work begins without a written variation carrying price and schedule impact.
What contingency should I carry on a refit in West Papua?
It depends on how much of the vessel is unknown at scoping. A well-surveyed vessel with a tight scope carries less than one where tanks and structure have not been opened for years. We set the figure against the specific unknowns in your scope and state it openly in the budget rather than hiding it in the rates.
Do you handle conversions from workboat to dive vessel?
Yes, provided the stability, tankage and survey implications are addressed before steel is cut. We will decline a conversion that has been scoped backwards, because the cost of correcting it afterwards exceeds the cost of doing it in the right order.