Today we are going into the duct keel. The keel is at the very bottom and center line of
the ship it is a steel structure that supports the framework of the ship
so now that we know what a keel is. The duct keel is a tunnel that runs along
the keel
this tunnel is designed for people to pass through it
doing things such as inspection on pipings or alarm gauges
so today we're going into the duct keel. First
as always we have to put on some safety gear
To get into the duct keel. We must go through the engine room to the bottom
floor then through a man-hole.
Climbing down two stairs and ladders we're now inside the duct.
To get across the entire length we use a pulley cart system with wheels and a rope
to pull ourselves over. Along the way we do a visual inspection checking the
structure for any cracks or rust
To our right we can see the ballast lines, fuel lines and other pipelines. The fuel line
is the huge pipe with insulation to reduce the heat transfer. The other big
one is a balanced line for transferring sea water between tanks. In between the
pipings are the expansion joints or flexible couplings
the purpose is to coup with the ship's flexing when under heavy seas
we have arrived at the forward end. Here we test the bilge water alarm system by
pushing this knob with my boots
Finished inspecting here and now we're going back to the accommodation
:D
Some interesting facts, laying down the keel is the first step of shipbuilding
everything else is assembled afterwards
So when the keel is broken the ship is commonly set to have "broken his back"
as always thanks for watching. Thumbs if you liked it,
Subs if you loved it. Comment if you've got any questions
Stay tuned for more content and i'll see you next week