The Dockmasters Journal -Volume 1, Issue 1
October 2024
Editor: Waleed (Wally) Sayed, P.E., M. ASCE
A publication dedicated to Dry Docks for Dock Masters, Dry Dock Engineers, Operators, and Owners.
In this month’s edition:
A Note from the Editor
Questions for the Editor
Main Article: Dry Dock Certification Standards - Which one is right for your facility?
Community Highlight
So, this one time, I was on a dry dock...
A Note from the Editor:
Dry docks are the workhorse of any shipyard that operates one.
Typically however, more attention is given to the vessel in dry dock than the dry dock itself. Even in the greater world, more attention is given to ships without much, if any, consideration to the dry dock facilities that maintain them. That is, until your dry dock ends up on the evening news or a viral TikTok video. Then, for one fleeting unwelcome moment all eyes are on you and reporting the worst.
What about all the successful days when so many dry dock facilities and unsung operators across America and around the world achieved the seemingly amazing impossibility of bringing a vessel out of the water? Like a Hollywood movie, we all know the starring actors on the big screen but know little to nothing about all the stagehands behind the scenes that made the production possible.
This publication is intended to specifically focus on the diverse world of dry dock facilities, showcase their successes and unique capabilities, disseminate industry specific knowledge, and share lessons learned from dry dock incidents with a positive presentation.
“A ship in dry dock is safe, but that’s not what ships are meant for.”
-Waleed (Wally) Sayed P.E., M. ASCE, Editor
Questions for the Editor:
Q) What is the difference between “dry dock” and “drydock”?
A) A dry dock is a noun, to drydock is a verb. Period.
Dry Dock Certification Standards - Which one is right for your dry dock facility?
A Standard is defined as a required or agreed level of quality or attainment. Many written Standards are adopted by federal, state, and local jurisdictions to provide a uniform basis of expectations and results with the goal of placing the public welfare above all other considerations. State Registered Professional Engineers are expected to interpret and apply state specific engineering Standards correctly. Note that an industry Standard that is not formally adopted by a jurisdiction does not prevent professional operators or engineers within that industry from applying the industry Standard. A Standard is peer and industry reviewed and accepted, with the expectation that all industry professionals will adhere to them when performing industry related tasks. A lawyer will always ask why an existent Standard wasn’t followed and will quickly and winningly argue that any occurrence of an incident is the direct result of not following the applicable published Standard.
There are a variety of dry dock certification Standards to be aware of, and each has been developed to support a specific maritime requirement. Do you operate a floating dry dock, graving dock, or a vertical lift? Are you planning to build or purchase a dry dock for a specific market such as Naval vessels or commercial vessels? Are you planning to drydock a US Naval vessel, USCG vessel, or a commercial vessel? Are you launching new vessels? These questions are the first step in determining which certification Standard is applicable to your operations.
The “Department of Defense (DoD) Standard Practice, MIL-STD-1625D, Safety Certification Program for Drydocking Facilities and Shipbuilding Ways for US Navy Ships”, is approved for use by Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) and is for designing, operating, and maintaining dry docks for DoD and/or US Navy ships only. Only NAVSEA may certify facilities to this standard. Third-party engineers design dry dock facilities to include this Standard, and third-party surveyors and/or engineers provide periodic control inspection services and report on the effectiveness of the shipyard’s maintenance program. Aspects that set this standard apart are damage stability, steel thickness gauging program, in depth maintenance reports and seismic evaluation. While this certification is generally accepted by most vessel Owners, there are some caveats to pay attention to, especially when the dry dock is also used to drydock non-DoD vessels - The MIL-STD-1625 certified rated capacity and freeboard must not be exceeded else the certification is suspended until re-inspected by NAVSEA.
“US Coast Guard Surface Forces Logistics Command Standard Specification 8634, Dry Docking” (USCG SFLC Std. Spec. 8634), describes the requirements for a contractor to drydock USCG surface assets including requirements for certification by others. The focus is on vessel safety with detailed information regarding the performance of drydocking. The checklists provide the basic inspection criteria for dry dock certification. It does not provide information regarding the determination of the dry dock’s capabilities (i.e. buoyant capacity, structural capacity, mooring, etc.). It is notable that the US Coast Guard does not inspect or certify dry docks.
International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) such as the American Bureau ofShips (ABS), Det Norse Veritas (DNV), and Lloyd’s Register class steel floating dry docks only.
For example, ABS developed “ABS Rules for Building and Classing Steel Floating Dry Docks” which provides design standards for steel dry dock hull construction for dry dock designers and engineers to follow. ABS also provides third-party review services of steel floating dry dock design submittals including production drawings and design calculations. In most cases, following this design standard and having the dry dock built to “Class” is required by outside investors and insurers. ABS also provides periodic surveys and class certificates with an emphasis on ensuring the dry dock is built and maintained to meet the originally approved design criteria. They do not provide site specific engineering requirements (i.e. wind, seismic, etc.), nor do they certify dry dock capacities to a Standard.
In 2010, the Dry Dock Standards Committee of the Ports and Harbors Committee of the Coasts, Oceans, Ports, and Rivers Institute (COPRI) of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) published “ASCE Manuals and Reports on Engineering Practice No. 121, Safe Operation and Maintenance of Dry Dock Facilities”. That manual provided the basis for “ASCE/COPRI Standard 77-22, Dry Dock Standard”, published in 2022. ASCE/COPRI 77-22 provides detailed requirements for the inspection and certification of commercial dry dock facilities by qualified registered Professional Engineers, including floating dry docks, graving docks, marine railways, and vertical lifts. The major components are: Condition Assessment, Dry Dock Calculations, Maintenance, and Operations.
Examples on certification would be: 1) A steel floating dry dock to be built for drydocking US Naval vessels would be designed according to an IACS Standard plus the additional design requirements from MIL-STD-1625D, and be inspected and certified by NAVSEA according to MIL-STD-1625D; 2) A dry dock in service bidding on USCG vessels requiring a USCG inspection and certification would require an ASCE/COPRI 77-22 Condition Assessment and Calculations plus select pages from USCG SFLC 8634 Appendix B.
Community Highlight
Mr. Waleed Sayed, P.E. M.ASCE, is the President and Chief Engineer for Triton Dry Dock Engineers, Marine Surveyors & Consultants LLC. He is a graduate of Old Dominion University (2001) and has over 20-years of dry dock experience as an engineer, operator and inspector. From 2001 to 2007, he was the Dry Dock Engineer and Asst. Dockmaster for a 40,000 LT floating dry dock and the graving docks in the Philadelphia Naval Yard.
Since 2007, Mr. Sayed has been a dry dock consulting engineer and is a co-author of “ASCE Manuals and Reports on Engineering Practice No. 121, Safe Operation and Maintenance of Dry Dock Facilities” and “ASCE/COPRI Standard 77-22, Dry Dock Standard”.
Mr. Sayed is registered as a Professional Engineer in 17 US coastal states from Maine to Alaska. His capabilities support Naval and commercial maritime clientele in the various aspects of design, certification and maintenance of dry dock facilities. Mr. Sayed also provides dry dock training and dry dock incident response.
So, this one time, I was on a dry dock...
when it began pitching fore and aft with enough motion to make the most seasoned seaman seasick. When the ballast operator was asked, he indicated no matter what he did, the dry dock pitched fore and aft in an uncontrollable manner. This was a clue that the dock was potentially lolling and unstable. While most floating dry docks are analyzed for transverse stability, longitudinal stability is often overlooked because generally it is not a governing condition. In this case, the results of a longitudinal stability analysis demonstrated this dock had a configuration that led to the rare condition of longitudinal instability and a reduction of the KG vs. Weight Curve. Further investigation determined that the original dock design was twice as long, but after building one half of the dock, funds dried up and the built section was launched and placed into service. This circumstance led to the oversight in which the dock design was not reanalyzed to reflect the as- built condition.
Next edition:
More on ASCE 77-22, and the launch of the Association of American Dockmasters (AADM).
Do you have questions or comments?
Do you have a success story you’d like to share?
Do you have lessons learned from a dry dock incident you’d like to share?
Would you like to advertise in future publications?
Please email wally@tritondrydock.com
Disclosure: Waleed Sayed, P.E. is a co-author of “ASCE Manuals and Reports on Engineering Practice No. 121, Safe Operation and Maintenance of Dry Dock Facilities” and a co-author and voting member of “ASCE/COPRI Standard 77-22, Dry Dock Standard”. Mr. Sayed is not compensated for presenting any information related to these publications.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this publication is general in nature and not prescriptive to any specific dry dock facility. Always consult a qualified professional when developing any site-specific plan.
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