UK’s Fleet Solid Support ship programme deemed on track despite steel supply concerns
Shipbuilders are saying the programme is going ahead on time as the government estimates 7.7 million tonnes of steel are needed for 2026 infrastructure projects.
Intermarine completes pontoon for RN carriers
Intermarine UK has completed the construction of a floating platform for the Royal Navy’s Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers.
It has built a 24x12 metre pontoon that will be moored to the stern of either HMS Queen Elizabeth or HMS Prince of Wales when anchored in Portsmouth, UK, allowing crew and passengers to board and disembark at the rear of the ship.
Intermarine UK, part of Polish-owned Inter Marine Group, opened a 2,000sqm fabrication and welding facility at Portland Port on England’s south coast at the start of 2018, and over the past year has spent in excess of £500,000 equipping the site with machinery.
The pontoon was built in four sections over a period of two-and-a-half months. Each part was then bolted together to create a floating platform with a lightship displacement of 86 tonnes. The bolted I-section framework in the middle of the pontoon carries a soft patch deck area of approximately 16x6 metres.
Prior to establishing its production facility the company was tasked with aligning and joining up sections of the two carriers.
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