Ashipyard, also called adockyard orboatyard, is a place whereships arebuilt and repaired. These can beyachts, military vessels,cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Compared to shipyards, which are sometimes more involved with original construction, dockyards are sometimes more linked with maintenance and basing activities. The terms are routinely used interchangeably, in part because theevolution of dockyards and shipyards has often caused them to change or merge roles.
Shipyards are constructed near the sea or tidal rivers to allow easy access for their ships. TheUnited Kingdom, for example, has shipyards on many of its rivers.
The site of a large shipyard will contain many specialisedcranes,dry docks,slipways, dust-free warehouses, painting facilities and extremely large areas for fabrication of the ships. After a ship's useful life is over, it makes its final voyage to aship-breaking yard, often on abeach inSouth Asia. Historically ship-breaking was carried out in drydock in developed countries, but high wages and environmental regulations have resulted in movement of the industry to third-world regions.
Lothal engineers accorded high priority to the creation of a dockyard and awarehouse to serve the purposes of maritime trade.[4] The dock was built on the eastern flank of the town, and is regarded by archaeologists as an engineering feat of the highest order. It was located away from the main current of the river to avoid silting, but provided access to ships at high tide as well.
The name of the ancient Greek city on the Gulf of Corinth,Naupactus, means "shipyard" (combination of theGreek words ναύςnaus: "ship, boat"; and πήγνυμιpêgnumi,pegnymi: "builder, fixer"). Naupactus' reputation in this field extended back into legendary times – the site is traditionally identified by Greek authors such asEphorus andStrabo as the place where a fleet was said to have been built by the legendaryHeraclidae[5]to invade thePeloponnesus.
In the Spanish city ofBarcelona, theDrassanes shipyards were active from at least the mid-13th century until the 18th century, although at times they served as a barracks for troops as well as an arsenal. During their time of operation the Drassanes were continuously changed, rebuilt and modified, but two original towers and part of the original eight construction-naves remain today. The site is currently a maritime museum.
Blohm+Voss, whereBismarck was constructed (still a major yard)
Havana, long the only dockyard in theCaribbean during the colonial period, theSantísima Trinidad, largest warship of its time, was built there in 1769.
Norfolk Naval Shipyard inPortsmouth, Virginia, is one of the largest shipyards in the world; specializing in repairing, overhauling and modernizing naval ships and submarines. It's the oldest and largest industrial facility that belongs to theUnited States Navy
ThePortland, Oregon, shipyard, operated by Cascade General Ship Repair (which is owned by Vigor Industrial)[8] is the largest such facility on theUnited States West Coast.
Fincantieri – Cantieri Navali Italiani S.p.A.[9] is an Italianshipbuilding company based inTrieste, Italy. It was formed in 1959 and is the largest shipbuilder in Europe, and one of the largest in the world. The company has built both commercial and military vessels during its history.
TheMeyer Werft GmbH is one of the major German shipyards, headquartered inPapenburg at the riverEms. Founded in 1795 and starting with small wooden vessels, today Meyer Werft is one of world's leading builders of luxury passenger ships. Altogether about 700 ships of different types have been built at the yard.
Navantia: major public Spanish shipbuilding firm, which offers its services to both military and civil sector in three industrial areas:Cartagena /Cádiz /Ferrol (headquarters:Madrid) and with recent important projects asF100-class frigate program andS-80-class submarine program
Construcciones Navales del NorteLaNaval, Sestao (Bilbao)
Navantia-Cartagena shipyard (Spain)Devonport Dockyard, located in the city ofPlymouth,England in the county ofDevon is the largest naval base in WesternEurope. It has 15dry docks, four miles (6.4 km) of waterfront, 25 tidal berths, five basins and covers 650 acres (2.6 km2). It is the main refitting base forRoyal Navy nuclear submarines and also handles work on frigates. It is the base for seven of theTrafalgar-class nuclear-powered hunter-killer submarines and many frigates, exploiting its convenient access to theAtlantic Ocean. It supports theVanguard-classTrident missile nuclear ballistic missile submarines in a custom-built refitting dock. It housesHMS Courageous, a nuclear-powered submarine used in theFalklands War and open to the general public.[10] Facilities in the local area also include a major naval training establishment and a base for theRoyal Marines.
Chatham Dockyard, located on theRiver Medway inKent, was established as a royal dockyard by QueenElizabeth I in 1567. For 414 years, the Dockyard provided over 500 ships for the Royal Navy, and was forefront of shipbuilding, industrial and architectural technology. At its height, it employed over 10,000 skilled artisans and covered 400 acres (1.6 km2). The dockyard closed in 1984, and most of theGeorgian dockyard is now managed as a visitor attraction by the Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust.
Sunderland,County Durham a town once hailed as the "Largest Shipbuilding Town in the World".[11] ships were built at theSunderland Docks from at least 1346[12] and by the mid-18th century Sunderland was one of the chief shipbuilding towns in the country.
Galați shipyard Galați is the largest naval shipyard on the Danube, given its strategic positioning inland but with access to the sea through either Sulina or Danube-Black Sea canal its output ranges from large tankers to research vessels,yachts and small coast guard patrol boats. The yard is known for taking on specialty projects and under Damen has completed over such 250 vessels since 1999.
TheBlack Sea Shipyard in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, is one of the largest shipyards in Europe, and is where all Soviet and Russian aircraft carriers were built.
Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding's Tamano Works builds bulk carriers, ore carriers, crude oil tankers, oil product carriers, LNG carriers, LPG carriers, reefers, container ships, pure car carriers, cargo ships, patrol vessels, ocean surveillance ships, training vessels, fishery patrol boats and fishing boats
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries's Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works primarily produces specialized commercial vessels, including LNG carriers, oil tankers and passenger cruise ships
Hyundai Heavy IndustriesUlsan Shipyard & Gunsan shipyard, in South Korea, is currently the largest in the world and has the capability to build a variety of vessels including Commercial Cargo, FPSO offshore, container ship, LNG Carrier, Car carriers, Tankers like VLCC & ULCC, Iron ore carrier and Naval vessels like Aegis destroyers & submarines.
CSBC Corporation, Taiwan, in Taiwan, is a private company that produces ships for civilian and military use. It was a state-owned enterprise of Taiwan (Republic of China) but transitioned to private ownership via an IPO in 2008. It is headquartered in Kaohsiung and shipyards in Kaohsiung and Keelung.
Yantai Raffles Shipyard, inYantai, China, is that country's largest offshore builder. It employs the 20,000 ton craneTaisun, the holder of the Heavy Lift World Record.[13] Yantai Raffles' portfolio includes offshore platforms, pipe lay and other specialized vessels.
Jiangnan Shipyard, inShanghai, China, is a subsidiary ofChina State Shipbuilding Corporation that produces both military and civilian ships. Its headquarters and main shipyard are based in Shanghai, with subsidiary shipyards in Shanghai and Chongqing.
Bason Shipyard, inHo Chi Minh City,Vietnam, is a long-standing builder that was established by the French government in April 1863 to repair warships and merchant vessels. Aside from its main function of building and repairing naval vessels, Bason also offers service to local and foreign customers from Southeast Asia and Europe.[15]
Cranes in Cochin Shipyard (India).Dhaka ShipyardDhaka Shipyard – welding propellers
FMC Dockyard is one of the largest shipyard of Bangladesh, located inEastern Bank of the Karnaphuli river inChittagong. The dockyard has its own forward and backward linkage. 106-by-26-metre (348 ft × 85 ft) Syncrolift and side transfer system.
Western Marine Shipyard, a leading shipyard in Bangladesh based in Chittagong. The shipyard has been exporting ships and vessels to a number of European, Asian and African countries.
Khulna Shipyard is the oldest shipyard in Bangladesh, situated inKhulna. It mainly produces warships forBangladesh Navy. Recently it also started to build commercial vessels like cargo ship, container, oil tanker for local buyers.
Pipavav Shipyard inGujarat, India, is the leading, modern and largest engineering facility in the business of ships and offshore platforms construction, repair and conversion, heavy engineering and offshore engineering inSouth Asia.
Colombo Dockyard inColombo,Sri Lanka, is the largest engineering facility in the business of ship repair, shipbuilding, heavy engineering and offshore engineering in Sri Lanka.
The beach atAlang in the Indian state ofGujarat is the site of a large complex ofshipbreaking yards. In 2010, the yard dismantled 357 ships; on average the yard processes 28–30 ships a month.[16]
TheJebel Ali andDubai ports in theUAE are capable of handling, constructing and repairing large ships. They also provide dry dock facilities.[17]
The gate 7 ofShuwaikh port in theKuwait has facility for repairing ships. They also provide dry dock facilities.[18]
^Leshnik, Lawrence S.; Junghans, K. H. (October 1968)."The Harappan 'Port' at Lothal: Another View".American Anthropologist.70 (5):911–922.doi:10.1525/aa.1968.70.5.02a00070. Retrieved22 May 2024.The settlement in general and the basin in particular do not, in the author's view, appear to meet the requirements of a port. As an alternative, he suggests that the basin could have served as an irrigation tank for a moderately-sized but still rural village.
^ab"Archaeological remains of a Harappa Port-Town, Lothal". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved10 February 2022.In close proximity to the enclosure identified as a warehouse, along the eastern side where a wharf-like platform, is a basin measuring 217 m long and 26 meters in width, identified as a tidal dock-yard.
^"This is Modi govt's plan for India's first National Maritime Museum in Gujarat's Lothal". 9 March 2020.Archaeological excavations discovered the oldest man-made dockyard – over 5,000 years old – in Lothal, located near the village of Saragwala in the Dholka Taluka of Ahmedabad district. [...] It was one of the southernmost cities, and the only port town, in the Indus Valley civilisation. [...] While the city has been nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site by the Indian government, its application is pending on the United Nation's tentative list. [...] According to UNESCO, stone anchors, marine shells and seals possibly belonging to the Persian Gulf corroborate the use of the basin as a dockyard where boats would have sailed upstream from the Gulf of Cambay during high tide.
^"Quarterly Review".Quarterly Review (100–118). Anglo-Spanish Society: 43. 1977. Retrieved23 June 2023.It is probable that at least a quarter of the ships of the Great Armada sent against England were built at Algeciras or Malaga.
Shipbuilding History – extensive collection of information about North American shipyards, including over 500 pages of US shipyard construction records
