Launch of largest floating dock

Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) has unveiled its latest weapon in its fight to become the world’s largest shipbuilder: the largest floating dock yet built.

The dock, at DSME’s Okpo, South Gyeongsang Province, yard, broke DSME’s own record of the biggest floating dock, previously held by the 362m x 62m dock at the same location.

The new Fourth Royal Dock is 438m long and 84m wide, and has been built to cope with 12,500 TEU and larger container ships. The new larger floating docks enable DSME to overcome traditional shortcomings of floating docks. Floating docks have hitherto been regarded as less suitable for larger vessels due to being less able to support large structures or cranes.

It is said that bigger floating docks are easier to build and less costly to dismantle than land-based yards, and with a shortage of land for new docks, shipbuilders are expected to commission more floating docks.

The new dock has 16 water pumps which make it possible to raise or lower the dock by 21m in three hours, so emptying and filling the dock is not likely to be a problem.

This is the latest development in DSME’s plan to reach the top spot in the global shipbuilding industry – it is currently second in line.