Give us a liſt? T


We all understand that marine surveying is a very diverse profession, and it is as broad as it is long, but I thought I would write this short article to focus on Shipyard Floating Cranes and Heavy Lifts.


I have had the privilege of working in the biggest shipbuilding yards in the world in South Korea over the past 20 years, as well as in China and Japan. The technology and logistics management that goes into building a ship is quite staggering and impressive. The one thing that can cause a choke point in production is the use of cranes. The capacity of the crane to lift a


Using LEGO® blocks to illustrate this concept: > V


Material and components from multiple vendors, suppliers and sub-contractors are delivered to the shipbuilding yard.


Designed to fit together and delivery ‘just in time’.


However, not all the blocks are built in the main shipyard. The main shipyard is often the assembly yard. Many blocks are built by specialist subcontractors who may be located many miles away from the main yard, or even in a different country. These blocks are transported by sea, either on a barge or on a heavy lift vessel. Here is the Marine Warranty part of the supply chain.


Assembly of the modules and components in the shipbuilding yard.


Mid-body hull blocks for a container ship, being delivered from a Chinese sub-contractor, on a heavy lift vessel, to a Daewoo shipbuilding yard in South Korea for assembly in the building dock.


Accommodation Block being lifted onto the quayside at the building yard from a barge.


THE REPORT | DEC 2023 | ISSUE 106 | 57


heavy load is vital to the production process as much as the number of cranes available and their location.


Generally, the production of ships’ hull blocks starts with flat steel panels that are then made up into a small block, say 50 tons, which is then joined to another small block to make a 100 ton block and so on. As the block gets bigger, they are progressively moved closer to the dock. By the time the blocks are 1000 to 3000 ton (known as ‘mega’ or ‘giga’ blocks depending on size and yard) they are normally located close to the building dock and under a Goliath Crane.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144