Published by: Welding Productivity – October 2020
Seaspan’s Vancouver Drydock is strategically located on the West Coast of North America, just North of the Canada-United States border. The shipyard provides a full range of quality repair services, and Seaspan employees understand the importance of delivering vessels on time and on budget. Facilities include two Lloyd’s registered floating drydocks, pier space, a heavy machine shop with two 40-ton overhead travelling cranes and multiple lathes that are capable of handling shafts up to 50 ft. long.
The need to be more efficient and deliver projects quickly and at a lower cost is especially important in the shipbuilding industry. New regulations mandated by the International Marine Organization have resulted in many new system installations that will require implementation over the next five to 10 years. Many of these systems are related to environmental concerns. A prime example is Vancouver Drydock’s most recent project, a ballast water treatment system (BWTS) upgrade.
Seaspan recently installed Novarc Technologies’ Spool Welding Robot (SWR) to help complete the BWTS upgrade. While the work itself was a new type of refit project for Vancouver Drydock, according to Seaspan, the Novarc welding automation technology used in the installation process was an even more exciting and innovative first for the shipyard.
While some shipyards are slow to grasp new technology, the team at Seaspan knew that it was embracing technology that had the potential to provide the company a significant leading edge in an increasingly competitive market. Furthermore, automation solutions like Novarc’s SWR play a key role in the overarching goal to deliver projects faster and at a lower cost. Read More…