How to build ships

Of course, all the engineering factories somehow similar, and I usually know what I'm there and I see that photograph. Despite this, I'm always interested to see how the individual pieces of metal and timber converted into a finished product. Once this process is fascinating.

As you know, a man can endlessly watch the fire, the water and how the other person operates. And then it came to me previously unknown plant, where they build large cruise ships and oil platforms, that is, pieces of metal promised to be thick, large billets and finished products is very ambitious. People at work, too, should be plenty. In general, we went to the shipyard in Turku, Finland.

Although Moscow and called the port 5 of the seas, the port is still a river so large mnogopalubnymi ships, and even more so with the plants, where they are building in our area is very tight. To see them have to travel 650 kilometers.

When I first came on board ferries, I was impressed by its size, and how much it fits only: a multi-storey residential complex with retail and entertainment center, lifts, restaurants and parking! And with all this, and he still walks by the sea! As a lover of art, I was terribly interesting, how it works, how it is managed and, more importantly, how to build such a swinger. Get behind the door that says "only for the crew" on the current board, we almost resolved, but we are a little bit do not match with them in time. Next time. But we have seen, where and how to build larger ships.

Frankly speaking, this is the shipyard became the first object of interest, which I scheduled for a visit, long before we came up with the itinerary. At the moment there is just essential to the success built in some respects sea ferry Viking Grace for the company Viking Line, which I was then interested in (this is the first marine steam propulsion with LPG). But our trip was postponed, and when it went, this boat has been built and sailed the Baltic expanses. However, to see the shipyard is still very anxious. After all, she is one of the oldest and largest in Europe, and ships there, too, build the biggest. Also cruise ships there also build icebreakers, the ships of various purposes, oil platforms and offshore wind power plant. By the way, this is sometimes satisfied shipyard official tours, but they are possible only for groups by appointment only, and is very rare. Conducting their Maritime Museum Forum Marinum in Turku.

Wait for a tour we had absolutely no way, and do you know what these official tours and press trips: a crowd of sightseers, fueled guide moves in a certain hiking trails, all shoot the same shots, and climb to you in a frame, and that is, the organizers and all forbid anything to shoot. In short, the sheer frustration and no exclusivity! We, fortunately, been spared from all these inconveniences and hardships, because for us in the STX made an exception - to arrange an individual tour and all told in detail and showed well, and permission to shoot, of course, is also given.

Shipyard in Turku has been around for 300 years, now it is a part of STX Europe, which has a total of 15 shipyards in 6 countries. Three of them are located in Finland, and one on which we were - the largest of them. Its area is 144 hectares, there are about 1650 people, and the size of its dry dock is 365h80 meters. The largest cruise ship in the world at the moment, was built here in 2009, it is called the Oasis of the Seas has a length of 361 meters and width of 66 meters (for comparison, the Titanic had a length of 269 meters and width of 28).

Shot from media bank STX, which is just visible in the process of construction of the dock of the largest cruise ship Oasis of the Seas and its twin Allure of the Seas at the shipyard in Turku.

As a child, I had a neighbor, a former submariner, he stood on the cabinet model submarines and warships, that I liked to consider and be amazed at how worked out even the smallest details. In STX office layouts are all ships built by them. For me it was a surprise to see among them Russian and Soviet ships. STX Finland turned out to actively cooperate with our shipbuilders since the Soviet times.

Voyager of the Seas, built in 1999. Now it is not the biggest, "only" 311 meters long.

Soviet.

At the entrance to the office hangs a bell with an old sailing ship, which was built here a long time ago. This is not a cheap souvenir "bell of the Year", which is popular bloggers annually award one another - a true rarity!

In the locker room found here are artifacts, reminiscent of the long-standing cooperation between the two countries.

Layouts - is good, but we got to see how the structure of this big ships! The assembly of any machine starts with metal sheets, which are cut, bent, welded.

This metal sheets, which in the future will be the vessel's hull. Their thickness - 3-5 cm.

The crane operator with a cordless remote control.

Picked up, moved, I put: Just a bad dream of the owner of slot machines with soft toys

cranes with electromagnets. Remembering the cartoon "Well, wait a minute", I decided not to go too close to them

Metal cut with plasma, under the control of computer programs.

a preform.

Most of the blanks do not look to any of the known parts of the ship, and only experts know what's what.

welded pieces of metal.

Photos from the media bank STX. We, unfortunately, did not see how oboroduyut interior space in the time of the visit there were ships at this stage of the work. Cabins are collected and brought to the shipyard in the assembled state of the subsidiary STX Finland Cabins, located in the suburbs of Turku.

The people in the shops a little, change a finished work, and the second has not yet started it: "pirrrif, nasyalnika".

Yes, Tajiks and Uzbeks in the shipyard did not notice. They, by the way, in our factories, where I have visited, there is little - working trades require qualifications.

However, in the shipyard STX, we were told that the "guest workers", if they are good professionals with the necessary education, recruit, regardless of origin. Including teach the necessary skills for this there are special training classes. Level zarpalaty shipyard begins an average of 2,000 euros.

People, ay! No, my favorite genre of "people at work" here is not a success.

Employees move through the territory of the shipyard on bicycles. This is probably a common phenomenon for Finnish companies: we too, is seen at the depot underground Helsinki.

Hangars, rasporolozhennye along the dock, have a sliding roof, there are going to large parts of the vessel and then transferred to the dock for final assembly. In the distance can be seen a fragment of the bottom of a large vessel, presumably, future cruise Mein Shiff 3 for the German company TUI. And the side screw.

bridge crane, which most of the vessel is transferred from the hangar to the dock. Its capacity is 600 tons.

the side screws. These screws are installed in the bottom of the vessel perpendicular to the direction of travel, and increase agility. With these screws can turn the ship in the port close almost on the spot.

The ice at the bottom of the dry dock.

In the dry dock build some platform.

Gulf View from the bridge at the gateway gate separating the dry dock.

View of the dock from the same place.

The bridge at the gateway gate: Right - the bay, on the left - a dry dock. When the ship is ready to be launched, the dry dock is filled with water, sluice gates are opened and release it at will.