The steel used in the maritime field

Steel is used on a large scale in the maritime field, which is the subject we are addressing in this article.

Global trade

Over long distances, most maritime transport is done by containers. It is estimated that 90% of the world’s goods are transported by sea. In total, approximately 14 trillion dollars of the world’s goods spend some time in a large metal box.

There are over 20 million maritime containers in the world, and most of them are made of steel.

The structure of the containers is robust, being approved by the manufacturer to support large loads.

The plinth is a welded steel structure, and for the walls and roof corrugated sheet metal is used. The entire structure is primed and electrostatically painted.

In the 1950s, the American entrepreneur Malcolm McLean realized the importance of containers with standardized dimensions. In this way, the products could remain in their containers from the point of manufacture until delivery. It results in reduced costs in terms of labor and potential damages.

Artificial reefs

Hurricane-resistant steel has been used to create hundreds of wave barriers. They surround the shores of the Caribbean, the American Gulf Coast and Southeast Asia.

Some of these steel reefs were designed to force waves to break offshore. Thus the beaches are protected. Others retain sediment from beaches to prevent coastal erosion.

Steel has also been used to create hundreds of artificial reefs that provide homes for millions of species of marine life.

STEEL IN THE MARITIME FIELD – CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS AND BRIDGES

When it comes to building the largest megaships in the world, there is no material more favored by engineers than steel.

An example is the Harmony of the Seas cruise ship from Royal Caribbean International. It was built with 227,000 tons of steel. With a height three times greater than the Olympic Stadium in London and almost as long as four football fields combined.

Also, the most powerful submarines have hard steel hulls to withstand underwater pressure. While their design has advanced over the centuries, one thing has remained constant – their steel construction.

The longest sea bridge in the world is made of steel

With a length of 55 kilometers, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge is the longest sea bridge in the world. 420,000 tons of steel were used for its construction. Enough quantity to build 60 Eiffel towers.

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge reduces travel time between Hong Kong and mainland China. Instead of three and a half hours, the distance is covered in approximately 30 minutes.

The construction of the bridge took nine years and experts from Great Britain, the USA, Switzerland, Japan and the Netherlands contributed.

The previous record for the longest bridge in the world over a sea was also held by the Chinese with a bridge of 42 kilometers.