Docking Plan

The docking plan provides all critical information about the layout and design of the ship, structural stability points (where the ship can be set onto keel blocks), and the exact location of all the underwater components, such as the propellers, shafts, sea water inlets and outlets, and other appendages. Whether the ship is to be put into a floating dock or traditional drydock, this information is essential to lining up the keel blocks and shoring timbers to prevent damage and to allow the vessel to remain stable during the work period.

Reviewing the plan is even more critical when a ship has severe underwater damage from striking something (a log, rock, reef, etc.) or when it has been in a collision and the damage below the waterline cannot be assessed while in the water. Additional support may be required on other sections of the keel or hull due to damage or certain areas may need to be left accessible for survey and inspection.

Many yards will also employ divers to check the underside of ships for anything that may affect the docking. Underwater damage that has ripped a hull open, left structural steel dangling, or broken something away such as a shaft, must be checked to ensure it does not interfere with or disturb the docking blocks as the ship is brought into the drydock.

With all projects there is a need to plan out work in advance to ensure that work unfolds as it should. This is particularly true with docking a vessel due to the high costs and risk of damage that could be incurred. Things such as weather, tides, ship's condition, available equipment, available personnel, mechanical failures, and environmental issues must all be taken into consideration. Good planning can mitigate most of these concerns, but the one issue that can't be stressed enough is the need to do preventative maintenance on the machinery used in the docking process. Starting with the dock itself, main pumps, service lines (air, steam, water etc.), and winches (wire/cables, motors, lubrication points) should all be inspected and serviced just prior to the docking event. All mobile equipment should be fully operational and fueled in the event they are required onsite longer than anticipated. Large travelling gantry cranes should be serviced, inspected, readied, and standing by. Often the motors or electronic controls in these machines work around the clock on three shifts and proper maintenance can be neglected.

Whichever type of dock is being considered, many of the preparation steps will be similar.