Sailing with a Ship before itS maiden voyage.

SChelde multi-purpoSe pontoon

day 1

day 2

day 3

day 3 a frigate on itS way to the water

heading for deeper water

the launCh under perfeCt Control

a SuCCeSSful floating method

Discover more on www.mammoet.com

making waveS in the maritime induStry.

a Z

Together with naval ship builder

Damen, Mammoet developed a

completely new way to launch

ships. The Multi-Purpose Pontoon

named ‘Schelde’ is designed to

float ships faster, safer and more

efficiently than conventional

methods. The groundbreaking

MPP removes the need for dry

docks and load spreaders

altogether, saving clients

precious time and money.

The launch of Damen’s newest

frigate was the perfect occasion

to break in the latest innovation

by Mammoet Engineering.

The launching of a ship is the

culmination of months of hard work.

As the essential final step in the

process, there are many time

consuming logistics and risks to

consider. To make the procedure

safer and more efficient, Mammoet

has developed a revolutionary

floating method.

Combining the Schelde MPP with

SPMTs, ships can now be moved

from their construction site and into

the water in a safe and controlled

fashion.

The Damen frigate’s maiden voyage

was also that of the Schelde MPP.

Using SPMTs, the frigate was moved

from the construction building

directly to the quay and onto the

pontoon. At high tide, the Schelde

was moved to deeper water, where

it was joined by two other pontoons

fitted with winch frames. Using

winches instead of the traditional

ballast towers is a much better

controlled method.

Our team used a tailor made

computer system to gradually

submerge the pontoon by controlling

the winches and the ballasting

pumps of the Schelde. The frigate

was floated under perfect control,

eliminating the need for dry docks

in the launching process.

With the innovative Schelde MPP,

ships no longer have to be built in

dry docks. Instead, valuable

dock space can be reserved for

maintenance and emergency

repairs – another major advantage

of this pioneering technique that

makes the floating of ships faster,

cheaper and more flexible.

Since its first assignment, the

Schelde has been successfully used

to launch many other vessels.

ResouRces

tRanspoRt 108 axle lines of SPMT

special equipment 1 Schelde Multi-Purpose Pontoon8 ballasting pumps4 pumps4 tugs4 lowering winches

cRew 25 Mammoet professionals