Ship Launching in Small Shipyards

Abstract

The most important process in the shipbuilding industry is a ship launching. The launching process takes various forms in shipyards, especially in proximity of rivers or canals where water level can change any time and where shipping traffic is extensive.

The object of my study is a shipyard with the following limitations: • No slipway, • Very limited area for building ship sections and a ship hull, • No floating cranes, • No economical possibilities to rent a floating deck, • No permission from the Port Authority to perform a ship launching because of restricted zone of shipping traffic.

I propose the launching solution for all types of ships, which can be applied in a small shipyard with the above-mentioned limitations. I have done research regarding experiences of several shipyards, methods of launching ships and other floating structures.

The most important part of this study is a development of the ship launching methodology and a proposal to use the original launching device, supported by the numerical analysis referring to the launching process.

The proposed methodology and designed device can be widely applied in other launching processes.