Glossary Term
CMMS
CMMS stands for Computerized Maintenance Management System. In yacht and superyacht use, it means the software platform used to plan, schedule, record, and review maintenance activity across the vessel’s technical assets. In practice, many yacht teams use CMMS language interchangeably with planned-maintenance software, although the exact software scope may also include procurement, defects, spare parts, compliance tasks, and reporting. DNV describes planned-maintenance systems as tools that let operators plan, perform, and document vessel maintenance in line with class and manufacturer requirements.
A good CMMS ties maintenance intervals to calendar time, running hours, conditions, manuals, and class requirements, then turns that information into work orders, histories, and evidence. On a professionally managed yacht, that supports chief-engineer planning, audit readiness, spares forecasting, service trending, and handover continuity when crew or managers change. DNV’s ShipManager material also places technical, operational, and compliance functions inside the same wider software environment, which is close to how CMMS platforms are used on larger yachts.
The software itself is only a tool. A CMMS becomes useful when equipment tags are clean, intervals are realistic, hours are updated, defects are closed properly, and service evidence is uploaded in a form the next engineer can actually use. Without that discipline, the yacht ends up with maintenance data but not maintenance control.