Drydocking Technology

29 January 2025, Robert Taylor, Principal Engineer Shipyard Solutions, Bardex Corporation, spoke to RUSI(NS) and guests with a presentation titled “Drydocking Technology.”

RUSI(NS) holds that marine infrastructure is a measure of a state’s sea power. Marine infrastructure, especially drydocks including mobile drydocks, are strategic assets for Canada in peace and conflict for the building, maintenance and repair of government and civil ships. Reshoring ship construction and repair is quickly becoming a global priority in both the east and west. Central to the success of any state to achieve its maritime goals is modern shipyard infrastructure. Understanding the available technologies, capabilities, time scales and budget for these infrastructure projects is necessary to improve capability. The Halifax graving dock was built in 1886. Most naval yard infrastructure in North America is over 60 years old and the average age of drydocks is 80 years old. Most major shipyards and ports are fully built out and little space remains for expansion, causing the modernization of existing facilities to disrupt both new ship construction programs and maintenance of existing vessels. The safety, environmental, and permitting regulations governing shipyard infrastructure projects are complex. Bardex has been contracted by Irving Shipbuilding to construct a shiplift in the Halifax Harbour Narrows to support building of River-class destroyers, and later, maintenance of destroyers, replenishment oilers and possibly submarines. The new vertical shiplift system at Irving Shipbuilding demonstrates a pragmatic path forward for increasing ship building and sustainment capacity. Robert Taylor spoke to developments in ship handling technologies and how these technologies are being used around the world to address the need for expanding vessel launch and retrieval capabilities across the maritime industry and how the Irving Shiplift system fits in this broader context.

Bardex posted Robert Taylor’s presentation: https://www.bardex.com/videos/

A copy of Robert Taylor’s slide deck is available here. A copy of the notes from which he spoke to accompany the slides is available here.

Bardex Corporation on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bardex-corporation-inc.
Bardex Corporation on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/bardex
Bardex Corporation on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bardexcorp

Chain-Jack Lift Animation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0G-UdhHgHw
Floating OmniDock™: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZsBIGHF-E4
Drydock to OmniLift™ Conversion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8F2l7UT2Y0

Rob Taylor contact information: rtaylor@bardex.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/roberttaylorpe
Bardex media contact information: Krystin Calvin kcalvin@bardex.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/krystinallairecalvin
Canadian marketing agent for Bardex Corporation: Dave Smith dsmith@coil.ca Newfoundland Offshore Services Ltd