All roles/Shoreside/Yacht Agent / Port Agent
Shoreside
Yacht Agent / Port Agent
A yacht agent is the yacht's fixer ashore. You arrange berths, clearance, fuel, provisions, transport and permits so the captain can focus on the boat and the guests.
- Department
- Shoreside
- Reports to
- Agency Manager or Director
- Yacht size
- Shore based
- Contract
- Permanent, shore based
- Starting pay
- €35,000 a year
What the job is
A yacht agent works for a local agency in a yachting port such as Antibes, Monaco, Palma, Porto Cervo or Fort Lauderdale. Captains, pursers and chief stews contact you when they need something done ashore. That could be a berth for three nights in August, customs clearance on arrival, a fuel delivery at anchor, a car for the owner at the airport, or a part flown in overnight. You make it happen and you make it happen on time.
Most of the work is phones, WhatsApp and email, backed by a strong local network. You know the harbour masters, the customs officers, the fuel suppliers, the florists and the taxi firms by name. You file arrival and departure paperwork, handle crew sign on and sign off, arrange visas and immigration for crew joining from abroad, and manage charter permits and cruising tax where they apply. Then you invoice it all accurately, because the yacht will check every line.
Hours follow the yachts. In season you can expect early starts, late finishes and weekend calls when a guest changes plans or a boat arrives at midnight. Winter is quieter, with refit support, admin and planning for the next season. The best agents are calm under pressure, discreet about owners and guests, and fluent in at least one language beyond English. Many come from crew backgrounds and already understand what a captain actually needs.
What makes a good one
- Calm problem solving under time pressure
- Strong local supplier and authority network
- Customs, immigration and port paperwork
- Fluent English plus a local language
- Discretion with owners and guests
A day in the life
- 07:30Check overnight messages from captains in your portfolio. A 60m motor yacht wants an extra night in Port Vauban and a 45m sailing yacht needs fuel at anchor off Cap d'Antibes.
- 08:30Call the harbour office to extend the berth and book the fuel bunker for midday. Confirm both with the captains in writing.
- 09:30Meet two joining deckhands at Nice airport, check their passports and seaman's books, and drive them to the boat with their sign on paperwork.
- 11:00Chase customs on a box of spare impellers held at Marseille. Send the commercial invoice and the yacht's transit documents to clear it as ships' spares.
- 12:30Go out on the fuel delivery to confirm quantities with the chief engineer and collect the signed delivery note.
- 14:30Back at the office, prepare arrival paperwork for a charter yacht coming in from Italy tomorrow and book two cars and a restaurant table for the charter guests.
- 16:30Purser calls with a last minute request for 40 white peonies and a birthday cake by 19:00. Brief the florist and pastry shop and arrange a driver.
- 18:00Raise invoices for the day's services and update each yacht's account in the agency system.
- 20:30Take a call from a captain whose owner wants to leave for Saint-Tropez at dawn. Book a berth there through a partner agent and confirm departure clearance.
Pay by country
Annual gross salary for a permanent shore based role, in local currency. Many agencies add a season bonus or commission on services sold, and captains sometimes tip agents after a busy charter season.
- France and Monaco
- €35,000 – 55,000
- Spain
- €28,000 – 45,000
- Italy
- €30,000 – 48,000
- United Kingdom
- £30,000 – 45,000
- USA (Florida)
- US$50,000 – 75,000
- Caribbean
- US$35,000 – 60,000
- UAE
- AED 150,000 – 240,000
- Australia
- A$65,000 – 90,000
- New Zealand
- NZ$55,000 – 80,000
Required
- Right to work in the country of the agency
- Fluent English
- Full driving licence
- Working knowledge of the local language
Recommended
- Previous superyacht crew experience
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- RYA Powerboat Level 2
- Customs or freight forwarding experience
- Charter and VAT regulation knowledge
- Additional European languages
Visas
- Right to work in the EU for France, Spain or Italy
- Monaco work permit for Monaco based agencies
- US work authorisation for Florida
- UK right to work
- Local work permit for Caribbean, UAE, Australia or New Zealand
Where it leads
Yacht Agent / Port Agent jobs open now
Questions crew ask
Do I need to have worked on yachts to become a yacht agent?
It is not essential, but most agencies prefer it. Former crew understand how a captain thinks, what an urgent request really means and how life on board works, which makes you useful from day one.
Is the job seasonal?
Most agent roles are permanent, but the workload is seasonal. Expect long days and weekend calls from May to September, then a quieter winter focused on refit support, admin and planning.
Which languages matter most?
English is essential because it is the working language of yachting. The local language of your port matters next, so French for the Riviera and Monaco, Spanish for Palma and Barcelona, and Italian for Sardinia and the Amalfi coast.