The Hypnotic Maintenance Process of Gigantic Ships

[Music] hello everyone and welcome back to the flectus channel large offshore vessels like cruise liners oil tankers and cargo ships are made up of many different components working together to power them each of these components require very special care throughout the duration of their usage in many cases these massive vessels feature extremely large engines with countless moving parts that need to be oiled and maintained on a very regular basis before during and after their lengthy voyages [Music] these elaborate maintenance processes also expand to include the electronic components of the vessel and the all-too-important external parts which are usually subject to physical damage corrosion and other risks arising from its long exposure to the salty seas all large ships have a maintenance team to help keep the ship efficient and reliable while afloat however vessels are required to undergo dry docking for regular maintenance at least twice every five years this typically takes place at a large port service yard where special canals connect to the main waterway these canals are first filled with water and the ship is then guided in mostly by tugboats and other guiding instructions [Music] one of the most important and the most difficult parts of the evolution is the actual transit into the dock because everything happens very quickly there is very little room for error and there are many moving parts once in place dive teams will ensure the ship's keel is aligned with the dock's block system we made sure that the middle of the keel was in line with the front and last blocks in the row and we just made sure that there was no hull appendages floating over the blocks that we're gonna get crushed when the ship sits on the dry dock crew's first job is to inspect the ship's entire hole for damage defective parts and other top priority issues the same goes for any and all components which are typically underwater [Music] next the crew will begin removing algal growth barnacles and rust from the side of the ship [Music] this is done via a process called hydro blasting in which fresh water is aimed at the whole at pressures reaching up to 25 000 psi many cleaning crews also use what's known as spider jet systems these are mobile cleaning devices that attach to the ship via magnetic wheels or powerful suction as they are directed along the surface they spray powerful streams of water that remove virtually everything from the surface including paint [Music] speaking of painting it's important to remember that the paint on a ship's hole isn't just there for aesthetic reasons [Music] indeed most companies now use what's known as anti-fowling paint also known as bottom paints these special chemical coatings are designed to slow the growth of sub-aquatic organisms reduce corrosion and protect the vessel against other elements many of these paints contain zinc and copper compounds and special biocides that not only last a long time but are less harmful to the environment than previous hole protectants [Music] since dry docking is an extremely expensive process many ship owners have also invested in high pressure cleaning devices that can be used while at sea one such example is a magnetic robot that is controlled by divers this along with special handheld units can remove build up from the hole and propeller thus minimizing fuel consumption and corrosion without the need for docking apart from dry docking and other ship related services the major purpose of a shipyard is to construct new vessels multiple shipyards all over the world provide this important service but one that has earned a reputation for consistently producing some of the largest and most advanced ships is huntington ingalls industries in virginia operating since 2011 with facilities in six key locations in the united states huntington ingalls has produced a variety of aircraft carriers submarines destroyer-class ships and most recently the proteus unmanned surface test vessel this revolutionary unmanned sea vessel has the sm-300 installed on it for obstacle detection and avoidance this has opened a new era of vessel intelligence indeed large ships are typically built in several sequences first the materials agreed upon are delivered to the shipyard after being treated and straightened these steel stowage plates are cut to size and assembled in vertical and horizontal sections this creates a skeleton frame of three dimensional sections called blocks which are made separately and then welded together as the inside of the ship begins to take shape special steel plates forming the outside of the hole are curved and welded into place to hold the entire design together there's no denying the importance of shipyard cranes in the shipbuilding process these massive cranes are made with a series of hoists and lifts that typically move horizontally along the length of the ship via large wheels or railroad tracks the crane can hold massive pieces of the ship in place while they are welded even over the course of days or weeks [Music] in fact the newest high-precision cranes are capable of moving their hoists by mere millimeters in all directions thus allowing for a perfect fit and perfect weld every time once a ship is fully constructed painted and outfitted it must be launched from the shipyard into the surrounding water of course as these complicated vessels now weigh hundreds of thousands of tons it would be impossible for even the largest crane in the world to move them that's why most of the assembly process takes place within a lock or channel similar to those used during the dry docking process this allows the launch team to merely flood the channel with water untie the ship and allow it to be pulled from the port [Music] other shipyards lack this luxury and must instead construct their ships atop special steel ramps that sit parallel to the water when the time comes huge steel rollers are used to slide the ship into the sea [Music] this is an extremely dangerous process for many reasons first the amount of wave generated by the ship can flood roadways there is also the worry that the rollers will fail causing the ship to hit at too high an angle and begin taking on water lastly this process requires tons of oil and lubricants which can pose issues for the environment fortunately more and more shipyards are constructing locks and channels to simplify the launching process and significantly reduce any negative impact this precaution also goes for ships returning to the sea after its elaborate repair process [Music] that's the end of this video i hope you enjoyed it make sure to subscribe to this channel so you don't miss any of our new content see you next time [Music]

Channel: Fluctus

Views: 30,075

Keywords: Ship maintenance, tugboats, corrosion, seawater environment, dry dockyin, huntington ingalls industries, US Navy, algae, spiderjet systems, hydroblasting, anti-fouling paint, diving, destroyer class vessel, shipyards

Id: 76r-zZ6lLHA

Length: 10min 28sec (628 seconds)

Published: Wed May 11 2022