Smart marinas: how AI is changing berth booking and boater services
by Hans Buitelaar,
METSTRADE
The hospitality sector of the marine industry works to provide easy digital access to the services that marinas provide. Boaters can book, use and pay for berths, fuel, water and all the other services using a simple app. For marina management, keeping track of berth availability and more, A.I. powered software platforms form the back end of the visitor apps. The next step is to integrate the variety of websites and apps into one platform, possibly even on the navigation screens of yachts.
During Mediterranean high season, finding a berth in a marina can be hard. Drawing from personal experience as a flotilla leader, I know the search for safe harbours along Croatian Islands can be horrifying. Finding spots for the eleven yachts in the flotilla every day is certainly not an easy task, especially since there are other flotillas exploring the same cruising grounds. Most municipal marinas are not connected to a booking system.
If there is a website, one hopes it is in English. The harbour master’s telephone number is given, but when called, the operator says reservations are not possible. After explanation that we are coming with a flotilla of eleven yachts, with often inexperienced sailors and their families on board, we are urged to get to the marina early, otherwise the berths will be given to other yachts. Five minutes to four o’clock, the mobile rings and the harbour master says the berths are not for our flotilla any more. “But we are underway at sea with ten yachts with inexperienced sailors who need a harbour”. Answer: “Not my problem.” This baffling lack of responsibility really perplexed us as flotilla leaders. Do these marina officials know the sea at all? Why is it so hard to book a berth?
120 | ISSUE 113 | SEP 2025 | THE REPORT Clarity
Modern marina management chooses automation to provide clarity for yachties. The example above illustrates how in touristic areas, it can be hard to find even slightly qualified staff. Having a good website and a clear system of booking berths is essential if marinas want to provide a good experience to their visitors and berth holders. While staff may have a hard time maintaining oversight of free spots and the number of incoming boats during the afternoon, modern automated systems are provided with information from camera’s, the booking system, weather data and more to determine if there are fee spaces for sailors to make a reservation. Whereas an automated system might not be as hospitable as personal contact, at least it provides clarity and allows for reservations.
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