Yacht Sanitization in Barcelona
A major refit and service port at the top of the Spanish coast.
Barcelona takes large yachts for serious work, with the depth and the shed space to do it. It is also a city port, which means everything else — parts, crew, flights — is close at hand and a visit is easy to arrange around the rest of the programme.
Big yachts mean long systems
Scale changes the problem. A hundred metres of pipework does not behave like twenty.
On a large yacht the hot water loop can run the length of the vessel, and the further an outlet sits from the calorifier the cooler the water reaches it. The far end of a long loop is often sitting in exactly the temperature band where bacteria are most comfortable, even when the calorifier itself is set correctly.
The same applies to air. A long duct run serves cabins at different distances from the unit, and the cabins at the end get less airflow, more condensation and more deposit. The complaints are almost always concentrated there.
That is why on a big yacht we sample and inspect at the extremities rather than at the plant. The plant is usually fine; the ends are where the problem lives.
Everything we can treat while you are in Barcelona
The same six jobs make up almost every visit. On most yachts more than one of them is needed at the same time, which is why we survey first and then plan them into a single stop.
Fresh water system
Tanks, distribution lines and every outlet treated as one network, then checked.
Read moreLegionella testing and remediation
A sampling plan, accredited lab analysis, and treatment across the whole network if a sample comes back positive.
Read more
HVAC and air ducts
Ducts and air handling units opened, cleaned and checked, cabin by cabin.
Read more
Fan coils and air conditioning
Units opened, coils and filters cleaned, condensate trays checked — where the smell on start-up usually comes from.
Read more
Galley hoods and extraction
Filters, hood and the duct run behind it degreased, right up to the fan.
Read more
Odour and mould investigation
Finding where a smell or a damp patch actually starts, instead of covering it.
Read moreSee the full list of services if you are looking for something more specific, such as water sampling, post-refit or charter turnaround work.
A refit here is the moment to map the whole system
On a large yacht, knowing where the weak points are is worth more than a single treatment.
During a yard period we can work through the full network rather than the accessible part of it, and produce a sampling plan that reflects the real layout.
That plan then gets reused every year, at the same points, so results can be compared instead of read in isolation.
From the first call to the report
The sequence is the same whichever berth you are on in Barcelona. What changes is the timing, and that is planned around the yacht rather than around us.
We look before we quote
A technician goes through the yacht with the crew: which outlets are used daily and which almost never, where the air handling units sit, what the crew has actually noticed.
The visit is planned around you
We fit the work into the window you have — between charters, during a yard period, or over a quiet weekend alongside.
We work alongside
No yard move and no lift. The heavy equipment stays on the quay; only hoses and a small dosing unit come aboard, on protected decks.
You get it in writing
Sampling points, what was done, and the laboratory report where water was analysed. That document is what closes the job.
Every port has its own rhythm. We plan the visit around the berth and the crew, not the other way round.
Francesco Colombo
CEO · AirBio Marine, a division of AirBio (Ekonore S.r.l.)
Book a survey at this port
Our own technicians, certified processes
Every intervention is carried out by AirBio technicians employed and trained in house, never subcontracted. We work under certified management systems and close each job with a technical report the captain can file on board.
- ISO 9001Quality
- ISO 14001Environment
- ISO 45001Health & safety
- ISO 16636Pest management
Verified reviews on Trustpilot
What a visit looks like
A few moments from the jobs we do on yachts every season: the equipment on the quay, the systems we open and the checks we close with. The same way of working applies in Barcelona.
Other ports on the same run
If the yacht moves before we get to you, or you are berthed one harbour along, these are the pages for the ports next door.
Valencia
South along the Spanish coast.
Open
Palma
South-east, in Mallorca.
Open
Ibiza
South-east, in the Balearics.
Open
La Ciotat
North-east, across the Golfe du Lion.
OpenThe complete list is on the ports page.
Working in Barcelona: frequently asked questions
Why sample at the far end rather than at the tank?
Because the far end is where the water is coolest, slowest and least often used. A sample at the plant tells you the plant is fine, which is rarely the question.
The cabins at the stern are always the ones that smell. Why?
Usually because they are at the end of the duct run: less airflow, more condensation, more deposit on the coil. It is a layout problem before it is a cleaning problem.
Do you travel to Spain?
Yes, on request. Dates are agreed in advance and we confirm what the travel means for scheduling before anything is committed.
In Barcelona?
Tell us the yacht, her length, the yard or berth and the dates. A technician calls you back within 24 hours.
Tell us about the yacht
Yacht length, marina, systems and what you have noticed on board. A technician reads the message and calls you back to plan the survey.
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Where we work
Italian Riviera and Tuscany marinas and yards — Viareggio, La Spezia, Portofino, Genoa, Sanremo, Livorno, Argentario — and other Mediterranean ports on request.
Documented work
Every job ends with a technical report and photos for the yacht's records.