Operational readiness before handover, not after

Handover packs that pass class do not always pass the crew. A vessel is operationally ready when the people who will run it can find the spare, read the procedure, raise the defect, and clear the snag — without calling the yard.

Readiness is a separate workstream, with its own deliverables and its own gate. Treating it as a by-product of construction is the most common cause of post-delivery friction.

An ETO list that maps to the actual spares onboard. A maintenance plan that the crew has rehearsed before sea trials. An OEM training matrix that is closed out, not in progress, on day of redelivery.

These are unglamorous deliverables. They protect the first year of operation.

Define a readiness scorecard separate from build progress. Score documentation, training, spares, and crew familiarisation with the same discipline as steel and outfitting.

Make readiness a named gate in the handover sequence, not a final-week checklist.