Shipyards
Shipyards are as old as the ships themselves. Like any other
production process, shipyards occupy large acres of land and
are dedicated to constructing, refurbishing and repairing
different kinds of marine vessels like ships and submarines.
There are also yards dedicated to breaking or disposal of ships
known as shipbreaking yards which we shall discuss in brief
later on.
While we are enchanted by such engineering marvels,
sometimes it may be hard to believe that starting from stage
zero, everything is materialized in a particular shipyard, thanks
to the synergistic intervention of man, equipment, and
increasingly through the recent times, computational powers.
From the plate preparation shop to the fitting-out jetty, the
shipyard follows an extensive workflow and involves the
deployment of huge manpower, state-of-the-art infrastructure,
efficient mechanisms, and systematic processes.
Shipyards are one of the earliest mainstream industries in the
world just as ships are the oldest mode of global
transportation.
History also has it that even several generations before the
Industrial Revolution, the early concept of ‘factories or mass
production plants were envisaged for building vessels on a
regular basis to the effect citing burgeoning trade and
commerce.
China, Japan and Korea are the industry leaders having the
majority share in terms of the volume of vessels built annually.
However, it can be proudly said that the first existence of a
dedicated facility for constructing ships in the history of human
civilization can be traced back to the ancient Harrapan
settlements in India around 2600 BC. As of the current day,
there are approximately 300 shipyards in service all around the
world.
While any further descriptions about the operationality or
detailed layout of a shipyard will lead to another diverse topic
altogether, let us delve into the types of shipyards which
commonly exist.
Types of Shipyards – Based On Ownership:
In almost every country, there may be two kinds of shipyard
based on ownership:
• Private Shipyard
• Public Shipyard
As the names easily suggest, private shipyards are owned by
corporate organizations or entities. Like any other private-
sector organization, the decision-making power and
implementation of the desired frameworks are taken at the
management level.
The net turnover, after necessary taxation, is the profit for the
yard and that acts as a key determinant for improvement of
processes and incorporation of more infrastructure.
The competence of a private-sector shipyard lies in the quality
of its deliverables and also in the pace at which it executes
orders. Though a private shipyard has a greater propensity to
bag orders from private bodies or clients, they are also open to
building vessels from government utility like defence vessels.
In India itself, thriving private organizations like L&T Defence
has been instrumental in constructing vessels for the navy or
coast guard for a very long time.
On the other hand, a public sector shipyard is owned by the
government as a public enterprise and operates under the
jurisdiction of the concerned ministry.
A government shipyard is considered a property of the
government and most of the time, has an advantage over their
private counterparts in terms of seamless allocation of funds
for process improvement and bolstering their production
capabilities.
India has a litany of renowned government-run, state-of-the-art
shipbuilding facilities like Mazagon Docks, Goa Shipyard,
Hindustan Shipyard, Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers,
Cochin Shipyard, and so on.
Just as private shipyards can take part in governmental
projects, public shipyards also accept orders from private
entities both nationally and internationally. However, as
obvious, they have an upper hand over private shipyards in
being considered for government bids.
For e.g. as per reports, public sector unit yards in India have
been successful in garnering over 80-85% of the contracts for
building, refitting or repairing defence vessels.
Types of Shipyards – Based On Purpose and
Function :
Now, a shipyard may be used for multifarious purposes. Hence,
they can be classified as:
• Ship construction yards
• Ship repair Yards
• Offshore structure construction and repair yards
• Shipbreaking and recycling yards
Ship construction yards are mainly for the construction of
various kinds of vessels. However, many shipyards are also
utilized for the construction of submarines and other
underwater vehicles. For example, Mazagon Dockyard in
Mumbai, India is a pioneer in constructing world-class
submarines, chiefly for defence and intelligence purposes
Several shipyards are also used for repairing and refitting
vessels within their facility. However, often exclusive facilities
are existent for repair and retrofitting activities of vessels,
submarines, etc. and may be classified as under ship repair
yards.
Similarly, infrastructure dedicated to the fabrication and repair
of offshore structures such as rigs exist. But several leading
shipyards also extend their services to offshore structures
within their existing facilities.
Shipbreaking and recycling yards are in diametrically opposite
positions in terms of their purpose. Just as shipyards are used
for shipbuilding, shipbreaking or recycling yards are used for
dismantling and disposal of scrapped ships no longer deemed
fit for use due to age, decommissioning, or incapacitation due
to lack of service or accidental damages.
All activities taking place in a shipbreaking yard come under the
purview of HAZMAT or hazardous material jobs and require
specially experienced manpower who follow a specific
framework in safely disassembling the discarded structures
with utmost care such that the process does not have any
adverse implications on the environment, ecology or lives of
mankind including their own.
Alang ship-breaking yard in Gujarat is a big name in this
business for a very long time.
Based on the clients served, shipyards can be classified into the
following broad categories:
• Commercial
• Defence
As the names suggest, commercial shipyards serve are used for
building or repairing ships or other structures which are used
chiefly for general purposes within the domain of trade, civil
transport, and essential or non-essential services, not under
the purview of any military interests.
Most ships such as passenger vessels, cargo vessels like tankers,
containers, bulkers, etc., or other various general-purpose
vessels are built under this category.
On a similar note, defence shipyards are focused on
constructing vessels and submarines for defence purposes.
A defence or a commercial shipyard may be private as well as
public as explained above.
Types of Shipyards – Based On Size :
Like every other production unit, shipyards are categorized
based on size, both in terms of area as well as workflow and
capabilities. They can be classified into three main types:
• Large
• Medium
• Small
Large shipyards are irrefutable assets of any nation. Be it
government or private, defence or commercial, large shipyards
are key indicators of a nation’s maritime strength and comprise
a significant share of the economy.
Large shipyards are often characterised by sprawling
infrastructures distributed over several hundred hectares of
land, employing thousands of manpower for its effective
functioning.
For any large shipyard, the employees are broadly classified as :
an executive body, workers’ body, and others functioning
under ancillary purposes.
The executive body is the decision-making and management-
level entity which follows the basic organizational hierarchy.
The upper-level management or administration occupies the
top of the heap and makes critical administrative decisions
impacting the ensuing workflow and future steps along with
controlling the overall operations ongoing in the yard.
The middle-level or mid-senior management reports to the
administration and acts as a bridge between the top-tier
management and the first-line management.
The first-line management involves managers, deputies, and
other multifarious officers like engineers, designers, draftsmen,
accountants, recruiters, IT administrators and so on.
The worker or labour body is the heart and soul of any shipyard
facility. They are the ones who are instrumental in building or
repairing the vessel from first principles and work under the
instructions of the executive body. Their dexterity, precision,
and workmanship are the keys to the yard’s reputation.
Though they are intrinsic employees of the facility, they are not
office-bearers like the executive body and have a different
framework of employment, mostly under contract and a
flexible pay structure depending on manhours, experience and
criticality of work.
To protect their interests and goodwill as a collective entity and
improve communication with the executive body, they are
often unionized. These unions, as a whole, are totally
independent of the management.
However, in case of any issue jeopardising the interests of
labours and productivity, the management is answerable to the
union and vice versa. In case of exigent issues, committees
represented by members from both parties look into
unhindered resolution processes.
Apart from these two main bodies, others working for various
ancillary units like stores, medical facilities, dispensaries,
canteens, security, material transport, etc. are also crucial for
the functioning of the shipyard.
Large shipyards for mass-scale construction of vessels are often
replete with mega infrastructures ranging from giant lifting
cranes to large spaces for fabrication of the hull. Hyundai Heavy
Industries presently owns the largest shipyard on earth situated
at Ulsan, South Korea.
In modern times, several industry leaders in shipbuilding are
increasingly shifting to high-end equipment and systems which
facilitate automation and integration. This reduces human
effort, expedites the pace of construction, and also decreases
the room for fabrication inaccuracies.
Medium shipyards are somewhat lower in size and
infrastructure as compared to their larger counterparts but
have a similar philosophy of workflow. Smaller shipyards are
mostly private shipyards. They aim at constructing smaller
vessels and boats. Sometimes larger vessels may also be built
by these yards but not on a mass scale. As expected, in terms of
size, infrastructure, and manpower, they are lesser in scale.
Types of Shipyards – Based On Location :
Based on their location, shipyards may be broadly categorised
as under the following:
• River
• Sea
A shipyard may be located on a sea coast or on the banks of a
river. Very large vessels and submarines can only be
constructed on yards situated on a sea coast.
A facility located on a river has some limitations in terms of the
size of vessels and the draft requirements. However, medium
to somewhat large-sized vessels has also been built on rivers.
Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers in Kolkata is a highly
reputed defence public shipyard situated on the Ganges river
and has a record of building several state-of-the-art vessels.
