Yacht Sanitization in Savona
A Ligurian working port where a lot of yachts spend the winter.
Savona and the stretch of coast around it take in yachts for long winter stays and refit work. That is the easiest moment for everything we do, and the cheapest in lost time, because the yacht is already out of service.
Winter layup is where the problems are made
Most of the complaints we are called about in spring were created in the months before, while the yacht sat still.
Water left in a tank and in the lines over winter does not stay neutral. Even on a well-run boat, the branches nobody opens — a guest shower, a cockpit tap, the crew heads at the far end — become the places where a biofilm takes hold, and the first run of the season brings the smell out.
The air side goes the same way. A fan coil that stops with a damp coil and sits in a closed cabin for four months comes back with a stale smell that no amount of running the air conditioning will clear, because the deposit is on the coil, not in the air.
Both are far easier to deal with during the layup than in the week before the owner arrives.
Everything we can treat while you are in Savona
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 more
Legionella 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.
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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.
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.
Do it in the layup, not in the handover week
The whole point of a winter stay is that there is time. Using it for this is the difference between a quiet spring and a rushed one.
Treat and sample early in the layup, and again close to the relaunch if the yacht has been sitting with water in the system since. The second sample is the one that goes in the file.
If you are draining down for the winter, say so: a dry system needs a different plan from one left full, and the work is scheduled differently.
From the first call to the report
The sequence is the same whichever berth you are on in Savona. 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.
We come to the yacht, work at the berth and leave a written report. The crew keeps running the boat.
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 Savona.
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.
Genoa
The big port just east.
Open
Imperia
West along the Riviera dei Fiori.
Open
Loano
A short hop down the coast.
Open
Sanremo
Towards the French border.
OpenThe complete list is on the ports page.
Working in Savona: frequently asked questions
Can you work on a yacht that is laid up ashore?
Yes. Nothing we do requires her to be afloat, and ashore the air side is often easier to reach.
The system was drained for the winter. Does it still need treating?
A dry system is in better shape than a full one, but the first fill is the moment that matters: treat and sample then, rather than assuming the drain did the job.
How far in advance should we book the spring work?
Before the yard fills up. From February onwards the whole coast is booking the same weeks, and the work that gets squeezed is always the one nobody scheduled.
Wintering in Savona?
Tell us the yacht, whether she is afloat or ashore and when she goes back in service. 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.