How to strrrrretch a ship

Onboard | 2 Comments

During Stena Line’s history, we’ve extended several ferries to increase their capacity. The last time we did it was in 2007 when Britannica and Hollandica, on the Hoek van Holland – Harwich route, were extended by an astonishing 50 metres. (When we cut them in half.)

We then renamed them Germanica and Scandinavica and moved them to the Gothenburg – Kiel route. By the way, this year, that route celebrates its 50-year anniversary. In any case, you can see how we extended the ships in the film:

As you could see, the principle of extending a ship is simple, although the engineering involved is quite complex.

First, the ship is brought into a dry dock (see episode 3 of our series).
Once there, the entire ship is cut into two halves, each completely separate from the other.
Now you can fill up the dry dock and remove one half. This is possible because both halves float independently.
In the same way, a new middle section can be brought into the dock, followed by the section first removed.
The three sections are placed right next to each other, and the dock is drained again.
Finally, the three sections are welded together.

Don’t miss our next episode, follow our How does it work playlist onYouTube! /ylva.