Many shipyards build sections, but very few build blocks.
Our facilities comprise over 100 cranes and shipbuilding halls, the most famous is our blue crane in Kiel, Germany, with a lifting capacity of 900 tons. We build complex, highly-integrated naval and large, non-military vessels for our clients and customers in a sophisticated pre-assembled block method.
Our team of experienced engineers works with our key partners to develop the best technical solutions that meet the specific requirements and wishes of our clients. At the beginning of every ship project, we gather all relevant information, including steel construction, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, fitting, and furnishing. After the initial design theory draft, we create a detailed 3D model that serves as the basis for the realization planning and subsequent production. Throughout the process, we work closely with our clients to ensure their expectations are met. Our goal is to deliver a tailor-made ship that meets the highest standards of quality and craftsmanship.
The detailed design draft is executed in a complex 3D model, creating the basis for the realization realization planning and the subsequent production. During the process, you as the customer will be involved in close coordination. Our goal: a tailor-made ship that meets your requirements.
The beginning of the steel-cutting process is always an extraordinary moment for every customer and our employees. When our plasma cutting equipment slices the first component out of a sheet of steel, the realisation process finally begins.
The first of up to 350,000 individual parts and components a ship can comprise are produced in our build halls.
Our specialists in the construction department create numerical data that control the cutting procedure. These contain the information for cutting the openings of pipes, ducts, cables and hatches and are essential for providing the necessary structural rigidity. Our section robots cut and label flat bars, bulb flats and angle bars.
ll individual components are taken for further processing in the building halls, are made into assemblies, sub-assemblies and substructures. These processes all follow the principles of our construction methodology. In the next step, we label and sort the various units produced in this process stage, enabling us to guarantee an ideal flow of materials.
Flat elements are essential for constructing a vessel’s decks and hull and may be as large as 16 m x 18 m. Minimal transportation distances from process to process guarantee an efficient workflow. A decisive factor in this is the rail transport system with several magnetic cranes connecting the Sheds with the external storage facility for sheet steel.
Our heavy transport vehicles and cranes move the elements to the shipbuilding halls. A rail system can open the roofs of the halls to allow the precise use of the 900 t portal crane.
At our shipbuilding facility, we have two large halls where we construct different-sized blocks and sections, covering a total area of 5400 square meters each. Most of the welding work is carried out during the production of large blocks and sections. We install and weld doors, ladders, pipe sleeves, and other fixtures and fittings. Our large block construction allows for efficient and cost-effective shipbuilding processes by relocating many phases of our work from the dock to the shipbuilding halls. This means we have a high level of prefabrication and pre-fitting of equipment and systems, resulting in much shorter turnaround times in the dock. This approach helps us to maintain the highest quality standards.
We now transport our large-size blocks to the paint sheds. These are where the steel is surface-coated under strict observance of the most stringent environmental standards. The three paint sheds in our yard can be individually temperature and humidity controlled to create the best conditions for applying state-of-the-art, high-tech coatings.
With this process, we guarantee the required protection against corrosion and limit the growth of mussels and fouling with other marine organisms. The special surface coating also contributes to a reduction of drag, resulting in significantly lower fuel consumption and higher speeds.
Strict quality assurance measures accompany all our processes. Specially trained personnel perform regular checks and analyses to ensure our clients and customers can always rely on absolute quality.
We transport the coated sections to the portal crane on shipyard transporters especially designed for heavy loads. The crane hoists them into one of our sheds with central temperature and humidity control. This is where more fittings, equipment and systems are pre-installed. The distances to the neighbouring workshops and storage facilities are short, which minimises the time and effort required for tasks on board.
Central pre-outfitting comprises, for example:
At the end of this phase, the portal crane hoists the pre-outfitted sections out of the shed through the sliding roof and lowers them to the dock.
The dock is where the mounting begins. Piece by piece, we assemble the vessel of 5 to 7 blocks in one of our mega-docks. Thanks to our powerful portal crane, this type of building is very effective. Spanning 157 m, it can reach all the relevant halls and docks of our yard.
We complete the remaining welding and coating jobs. We close the hull and begin the final outfitting phase.
Before the commissioning process can begin, our largest dock, which can hold up to 397 million liters of water, needs to be flooded. Fortunately, we have an underground pipeline that can pump 99 million liters of water per hour from the Kieler Förde to fill up the dock in just four hours. At the pier, various trades conduct final testing, including harbor and sea acceptance tests, to ensure everything is in order. In the end, we deliver the vessel, and the new building will be completed.