Home

About MPS Maritime Project Solutions is a full-service maritime operations, administration, and project management company headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. We provide vessel owners, captains, and management companies with a dedicated shore-side team structured specifically around the needs, scope, and complexity of each individual project.
Rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach, MPS assembles the right combination of operational, administrative, project management, and technical resources for each engagement. From special surveys, yard periods, and major refits to ongoing vessel administration and operational support, our team provides the structure, coordination, oversight, and accountability required to keep complex projects moving efficiently.
MPS works in direct alignment with owners, management companies, captains, shipyards, technical teams, contractors, and vendors, serving as a central point of coordination while maintaining transparency and accountability throughout the process.
Our clients are based throughout the United States and internationally, with our work focused primarily on vessels 50 meters and above. Regardless of the size or complexity of the engagement, our objective remains the same: build the right team, establish the right structure, and deliver the project professionally from start to finish. Meet Maria Meet Maria Pierce Schoenheit Maritime Project Solutions is built on a decade of direct, owner-facing experience, not theory.
 
Maria Pierce Schoenheit founded MPS after 10 years working shore-side for vessel owners, managing company financials, HR, compliance, crew payroll, and full office operations. She has navigated two complete company acquisitions from the inside, personally handling the confidential handoff of all financial, legal, and HR records to acquiring companies’ teams. That kind of trust is earned, not marketed.
 
Under the DBA Maritime Project Solutions, Maria delivers Project & Refit Management, Yard Periods, and Special Surveys for vessels in the 50m–70m range and beyond, working in direct alignment with management companies, captains, and technical teams. Her edge is rare in this industry: she bridges hands-on project oversight with the back-office infrastructure, financial controls, vendor administration, and reporting that most lean maritime operations lack and every owner deserves.
 
MPS is owner-facing. Results-driven. Known in the industry. Florida Notary  |  WISTA Member  |  IYBA Member What We Do MPS delivers two integrated service divisions built to work together or independently, depending on what your operation requires. Shipyard Project Management MPS acts as a dedicated owner’s representative throughout the full yard period lifecycle, from pre-planning through close-out. We manage the scope, the schedule, the vendors, and the reporting so that owners and management companies have complete visibility and zero surprises.
 
This is not coordination from a distance. We are present, accountable, and in constant communication with the yard, the Captain, and the technical team from first day to last. Phases we manage: Pre-planning & scope development Active yard period oversight Close-out, final reporting & documentation What that includes: Scope of Work (SOW) development and cost modeling Vendor and contractor selection, supervision, and payment administration Change order tracking and authorization Schedule management and milestone reporting Class society and flag state coordination Quality assurance and regulatory compliance Weekly reporting to owner, management company, and Captain Operations & Administration The operational and administrative side of a maritime business is where deals are won, lost, and protected. MPS builds and manages the systems that keep your operation clean, financials, compliance, documentation, HR, and reporting, so your team can focus on the vessel.
 
We work as a fractional shore-side operations team: embedded in your business without the overhead of a full-time hire. Whether you need a one-time system build or ongoing monthly support, MPS brings structure from day one. Services include: Financial system setup, bookkeeping structure, and reporting Document management and certificate compliance tracking Crew payroll administration and HR coordination Vendor administration, PO tracking, and invoice management Communication workflows and operational SOPs Office administration and regulatory compliance support How We Work MPS operates on three principles that are non-negotiable on every engagement:

Clarity.  Complex operations translated into structured, trackable systems — no ambiguity about scope, cost, or status.

Accountability.  Every decision documented. Every commitment followed through. No verbal agreements without written confirmation.

Confidentiality. Owner information, vessel data, financial records, and business details are handled with the same discipline applied across two company acquisitions. What you share with MPS stays with MPS.
We do not act as a vendor. We act as a trusted extension of your team, invested in the outcome, not just the deliverable. best experts on the market Our team is your solution Owner, director of operations Maria Pierce Schoenheit Ten years shore-side, working directly for vessel owners across financials, HR, compliance, crew payroll, office operations, and boat show logistics. She has carried two full company acquisition handoffs end to end — every financial, legal, and HR transition to the acquiring party. Maria works owner-facing on yard periods, refits, and special surveys, holding the owner line on scope, cost, approvals, and acceptance while the work is live, and building the record that has to hold after redelivery. Technical project oversight and back-office operational infrastructure sit with the same person. Primarily vessels 150′ to 220′ LOA. Senior Project manager Colin D. Lord Forty-plus years in project management, twenty-five of them exclusively in mega-yachts. Colin came up on the yard side — Head Project Manager and Yard Superintendent at Bradford Marine — which means he has run refits from the position most owner-side representatives only observe from. He carries a yard period from pre-planning through delivery: scope development, class and survey requirements, coating systems and paint sequencing, trade coordination, and acceptance. OSHA certified. MIASF Lifetime Member and 2016 Award of Excellence recipient. operations Tim Schoenheit Tim Schoenheit brings more than 35 years of experience in engineering, entrepreneurship, operations, and project management to Maritime Project Solutions. With a degree in Architectural Engineering, Tim built and led an internationally recognized business in the automotive performance industry for three decades before successfully selling the company and its commercial property. His hands-on leadership, operational expertise, and ability to manage complex projects and solve problems translate seamlessly to the maritime industry and the demands of yacht management and refit operations. operations John McCaughey Thirty-eight years in yachting, beginning as mate on a 106-foot motor yacht in 1986 and progressing to USCG Master 1600 GRT domestic / 3000 GRT ITC, with command across the Eastern Seaboard, Caribbean, Mediterranean, Panama Canal, and Southeast Asia. Ashore, he has managed multi-million-dollar refits and restorations, served on new-build teams, and represented owners through custom construction and subsequent operations. Certified ISM auditor and shipboard safety officer, ISPS ship and company security officer. Retained as a litigation support witness on behalf of yacht owners and hull insurers. Administrator Rachel Davis Rachel holds the documentation spine of every MPS project: progress meeting minutes, scopes of work, budget and accounting spreadsheets, vendor and client correspondence, and the record trail that has to survive redelivery. She came up as Chief Administrator on yacht project management teams and is an experienced primary administrator of Pinpoint, the live field platform MPS runs projects on. Records stay current, organized, and retrievable. Internal administrator Carrie Grant Carrie entered yachting in 2009 and spent six years in crew placement across the Fort Lauderdale fleet before going aboard as freelance deck/stew. She has spent the decade since building organizational systems for vessel interiors and operations. At MPS she works internally on workflow design, template management, and file system structure. Affiliates MPS works alongside a network of trusted maritime professionals and organizations. The following affiliates represent partnerships built on shared standards, mutual respect, and a commitment to the industry. Contact us From financial organization to document control and compliance reporting, MPS provides a professional foundation that helps marine businesses operate efficiently, project professionalism, and grow sustainably.
If you are a vessel owner, management company, or Captain evaluating a refit, yard period, or special survey, or if your maritime business needs operational and administrative support, MPS is ready to talk.
All enquiries are handled directly by Maria Pierce Schoenheit. 561-710-9920 maria@mpsolutions913.com 1019 SE 17th St, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316