Victory for Shipbuilding
At the impact testing site of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering’s (DSME) Okpo shipyard in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, a crane lifted 1-ton and 7-ton steel pendulums over a ship block. After a while, the crane dropped the pendulums, which fell on the block with a loud clunking noise. The experts of the DSME and global leading ship inspection companies carried out a painstaking search of the block but couldn’t find any cracks in the welds.
The DSME announced on Nov. 10 that it successfully completed the impact testing for the world’s first ice-breaking liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier for which the company won a contract last year.
The DSME conducted the test for about three weeks last month by building blocks of structure and size similar to its ice-breaking LNG carrier and applying strong impacts to it. The company was the first in the shipbuilding industry to run a mock-up test on the ship. In order to produce an equivalent impact of a 2-meter-thick ice sheet on the ship, the 1-ton and 7-ton steel pendulums were dropped from a height of 5 to 7 meters and 1 to 2 meters, respectively. However, no cracks were found in the welds, proving its durability. The test was observed by the ship owner, charterer and seven global leading ship inspection officials.
The DSME won a deal to build 15 ice-breaking LNG carriers last year, and is scheduled to deliver them from the second half of next year. An official from the DSME said, “Based on our ice-breaking vessel building experience this time, we are planning to improve our Arctic-capable shipbuilding technology.”