What happens when critical equipment fails on a new Azimut

Public interest: information for prospective yacht buyers, based on dated correspondence and records. Quotations are reproduced exactly, with their dates. We make no finding about the cause of the failure or about any party’s legal responsibility. Right of reply: the builder and suppliers are welcome to provide their position, which we will publish in full, via the help page.

On a yacht kept in the tropics, air-conditioning protects the interior, the electronics and the people on board. This page records, from dated correspondence, what happened when the central chilled-water AC plant failed on a 2023 Azimut Grande 32M, and what questions that raises for anyone buying a new yacht.

From delivery to failure

The yacht was delivered in 2023. According to the builder (email of 28 Jul 2026), a fresh-water contamination of the chilled-water loop was identified in the first year, and the corrective work, “including the full system reflushing, proper glycol refilling”, was completed within the warranty window. The builder also wrote that the later electronics failures “occurred more than 18 months after that full remediation work was completed”.

Total failure in 2026

On 29 Jul 2026 the owner reported to the builder that the third compressor had failed. On 19 Aug 2026 the AC manufacturer, Climma/Veco, after a remote check with its local dealer, wrote that compressor 2 “is no longer insulated and hence not functioning”. As of 13 Oct 2026 the yacht has had no AC cooling for 55 days.

The warranty position

The builder’s written position, in its own words (after-sales email, 28 Jul 2026): the first-year loop contamination “was reported as an isolated incident” and the corrective work “was completed by the authorized Veco service team within the original 12-month warranty window”; the later electronics failures “fall well outside the original 12-month warranty coverage window”; and “We do not deny that the failure rate on the compressor/inverter of this boat is not a normal rate”, so “it is necessary to return the damaged components at the facilities of Veco Italy so as to investigate the exact causes”. Which warranty terms apply is governed by the contract, not by this page.

Climma/Veco wrote on 19 Aug 2026: “We never had 3 dead chillers out of 3, after just a few years, unless there is something external (related to the boat, and not to our chillers) that needs to be well investigated”. Its regional dealer, VECO SEA (SEA Power Systems Pte Ltd), wrote on 12 Sep 2026 that the builder “should be leading the investigation”.

Who investigates, and who pays

On 19 Sep 2026, 93 days after the first report, the builder confirmed it would send two technicians from Italy: an electrician from D&G, its electrical system supplier, and a surveyor from Polipodio. On 9 Oct 2026 it set the visit for 27–28 Oct and wrote: “Please note that this investigation is not a complimentary service”. The failed parts have been kept so that they can be examined. See what is done and still open and evidence held.

Questions for buyers

• How are faults handled that first appear inside warranty and recur later? Agree this in writing.
• Who answers for the installed system as a whole: the builder or the equipment maker?
• If a cause is disputed, who investigates, who pays, and who keeps the failed parts?
• Ask for the cause in writing whenever a part is replaced, and keep failed parts.

More: lessons for owners, questions to ask before buying, the after-sales timeline.

Frequently asked questions