Maritime Glossary
Dry Dock
Also known as: drydock, graving dock
A narrow basin that is flooded to admit a vessel, then pumped dry for hull inspection and underwater repair.
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Full Definition
In a graving dock, the ship floats in, keel blocks are positioned, gates close, and water is pumped out to expose the underwater hull for cleaning, anti-fouling, propeller/rudder repair, and thickness gauging. Floating dry docks are an alternative. Classification society rules require drydocking at intervals not exceeding 2.5 or 5 years (within a special survey cycle). Floating dry docks can deploy to locations without fixed docks.
Domain Tags
engineeringmaintenanceregulation