Weighing in at a colossal 227,000 tonnes and measuring 361 metres (the length of four football pitches), Harmony of the Seas is the largest cruise ship to ever sail the ocean. The massive vessel can hold 5,479 passengers on its 16 decks equipped with a theatre, outdoor central park, gym, sports court, waterpark, bars, restaurants and more. Naturally for such a high-profile record-breaking project, only the highest quality steel products would do.听
How it started
STX France SA is a world leader in the design, fabrication, building and commissioning of highly complex ships and offshore installations. 听We鈥檝e had a running contract with them to supply bulb flats for their Royal Carribean Oasis-Class cruise liners, as well as other projects, for a number of years.
They received an order in December 2012 to build the biggest cruise ship in history: The Harmony of the Seas. The enormous project would take a huge effort over four years to complete before the ship set off on its maiden voyage in April 2016. It would also require a lot of steel, which is where we came in.
What we did
Our running contract with STX France SA has seen us supply them with over 3000 tonnes of bulb flats since 2014, a large portion of which were used in the construction of Harmony of the Seas. We supply STX with 12m and 16m bulb flats in dozens of differing weights and dimensions, all of which are manufactured at our Skinningrove Special Profiles site.
Mike Nielsen, Sales Manager, said: 鈥淲e鈥檝e got a great relationship with STX France SA that goes back a few years now.
鈥淲e鈥檙e able to supply smaller quantities of steel on shorter lead times as we roll more regularly than our competitors; this ordering flexibility suits STX as they can order the specification and amount they need with more precision whilst simultaneously not tying up all their cash in stock that they won鈥檛 use for months.鈥�
鈥淔or STX we manage a complex supply chain. The customer specifies exactly which material is needed which we roll and test before we send it to our subcontractors for edge grinding, shot-blasting and painting and finally delivery to site by truck.鈥�
It鈥檚 a comprehensive service which we are able to offer our key partners in the industry.
The bulb flats strengthen the structure of the ship by stiffening the steel plates of the ship鈥檚 hull. Our bulb flats are specially manufactured to be strong enough to maintain shape & rigidity and flexible enough to absorb the power of the waves without transmitting excessive vibrations.
They are also very light and their shape helps corrosion resistance, contributing to optimum running costs, minimum maintenance and maximum lifespan.
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