Yacht Sanitization in La Spezia
An hour from our base, in a gulf built around yards rather than berths.
La Spezia and the Gulf of Poets are where a lot of Mediterranean yachts go when the work is serious: long stays, panels off, systems apart. That is exactly when the water network and the air side are easiest to reach — and when doing them costs the least in lost time.
A gulf that works on long stays
Yachts do not stop in La Spezia for a night. They come for weeks, and that changes what is worth doing.
A long yard period is the only time the air side is genuinely accessible. During the season a fan coil behind cabin joinery is a two-hour job of taking panels off and putting them back; in a refit those panels are already off for somebody else. The same is true of duct runs above the headlining.
On the water side, a long stay creates its own problem. A system that sits still for weeks with water in it is a system growing biofilm, and the branches that get used least — guest cabin showers, the crew heads at the far end — are the ones that stagnate. A yacht that goes back in the water after a quiet winter often smells wrong on the first run.
Both are worth planning at the start of the yard period rather than at the end, when everything else is already behind schedule.
Everything we can treat while you are in La Spezia
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.
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Legionella testing and remediation
A sampling plan, accredited lab analysis, and treatment across the whole network if a sample comes back positive.
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HVAC and air ducts
Ducts and air handling units opened, cleaned and checked, cabin by cabin.
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Fan coils and air conditioning
Units opened, coils and filters cleaned, condensate trays checked — where the smell on start-up usually comes from.
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Galley hoods and extraction
Filters, hood and the duct run behind it degreased, right up to the fan.
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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.
Book it into the yard period, not after it
The mistake we see most often in La Spezia is leaving sanitization to the last fortnight, when the yard is trying to close up.
If the water system is treated while the yacht is still alongside and quiet, there is time for the laboratory result to come back and, if needed, for a second pass. Left to the end, a positive sample becomes a delivery problem.
If the yacht is going back into service straight from the yard, the last fill and the final sample should sit close to the handover date, so the report reflects the system as the owner will find it.
From the first call to the report
The sequence is the same whichever berth you are on in La Spezia. 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.
A clean system is easy to prove when every step is written down. That is what we hand to the captain.
Francesco Colombo
CEO · AirBio Marine, a division of AirBio (Ekonore S.r.l.)
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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
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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 La Spezia.
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.
Viareggio
Our base, an hour south.
Open
Marina di Carrara
Just down the coast.
Open
Genoa
The Ligurian hub to the north.
Open
Livorno
Further south along the Tuscan coast.
OpenThe complete list is on the ports page.
Working in La Spezia: frequently asked questions
How quickly can you get to La Spezia?
It is about an hour from our base in Viareggio, so a survey is usually a matter of days rather than weeks.
Can you work while the yacht is hauled out?
Yes. Nothing we do needs the yacht in the water — in fact a haul-out makes the air side easier to reach.
The yacht has been laid up all winter. What comes first?
A water sample before anything else. It tells you whether you are dealing with a stale-water smell that a good flush will fix, or something in the system that needs treating, and it stops you paying for a treatment you may not need.
In the Gulf of Poets?
Tell us the yacht, the yard and the dates of the work period. A technician calls you back within 24 hours and plans the visit inside your window.
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.