Docking

This is a set of actions for maintaining a ship ( ship ) and all its elements and mechanisms in operational readiness and / or for examination in dry and floating docks ^[2] , in ship elevators , in boathouses or in open areas of ship repair and shipbuilding yards. Lifting is carried out using coastal or floating ship-lifting structures (mechanisms), inclined slips , vertical ship-lifts ^{[3] [4]} . The rules and stages of docking are strictly regulated by the instructions “Regulations on the repair of ships” ^[5] .

Docking stages

1. preparation of the vessel and ship lifting gear;
2. supply of the vessel to the ship-lifting mechanism by tugboats;
3. entering and centering it over the slipway using mooring or other special devices;
4. installation of the vessel on a slipway;
5. raising a vessel from the water;
6. inspection of the bottom, parts of the helical-steering complex and bottom-outboard fittings;
7. carrying out the work necessary to eliminate defects and comments;
8. acceptance of work performed by the customer (commission);
9. launching or launching a vessel;
10. signing of acts and documentation on the work performed.

Each shipowner company monitors the operation of the ships of its fleet, their repair and documentation. Based on the current state of affairs, shipowners issue regulations on a particular type of docking, ship repair and the timing of their conduct in accordance with laws, regulations, purpose and type of ship ^[5] .

For ships under the age of 15 years, the underwater part of the vessel may be surveyed afloat without docking. For ships of 15 years of age or more, survey of the underwater part afloat is not allowed ^[6] .

Docking types

Annual Docking

It is carried out for passenger, wooden and composite vessels, as well as vessels operating in northern or tropical regions, also for vessels with speeds exceeding 18 knots ^[6] .
During the annual docking, as a rule, the bottom is cleaned of marine organisms, the underwater part is painted, minor defects are eliminated, and preventive or minor repairs are possible ^[5] .

Next Docking

For the remaining vessels, the next docking is carried out once every 5 years. But during this period at least two intermediate surveys of the underwater part of the vessel should be carried out, and the interval between two intermediate surveys should not exceed 36 months ^[6] .
At the next docking, as at the annual, the bottom is cleaned of marine organisms, the underwater part of the vessel is painted, and if necessary, preventive, restorative, or current repairs ensure uninterrupted navigation of the vessel until the next repair. Welding of any cracks in critical structures is carried out only by agreement with the inspection of the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping ^[5] .

Interim Docking

It is carried out to provide an intermediate survey of the vessel ^[5] . Examination of vessels under the age of 15 years can be carried out afloat without decommissioning by an inspector of the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping and divers using a television camera and an ultrasonic device ^[6] .

Extraordinary Docking

Passes for emergency repairs and repair damage caused by an accident, accident or emergency ^[5] .

To reduce the cost of docking, group ship dockings or docking on the same water are practiced. Partial docking is possible - partial lifting of a vessel from the water to access the object of survey or repair in the underwater part. It is usually carried out in floating docks or on ship elevators of relatively low carrying capacity, as well as using caissons - drained boxes of various shapes, the supporting contour of which corresponds to the contours of the hull ^[3] .

• Kieling

• Doc // Naval Dictionary / Ch. ed. V.I. Chernavin. - M.: Military Publishing, 1989 .-- p. 134-135. ISBN 5-203-00174-X
• Docks // Military Encyclopedia : [18 vol.] / Ed. V.F. Novitsky [et al.]. - SPb. ; [ M. ]: Type. t-va I. D. Sytin , 1911-1915.
• Floating ship-lifting structures in ship repair and shipbuilding // Morskoy Vestnik Magazine No. 4 (16) 2005