Electrogas welding of advanced double-hull subassemblies

The new Oil Pollution Act of 1990 which mandates double hulls on all tanker entering US, results in the design of simplified double-hull constructions using curve hull plating and a patented single-pass welding application of the electrogas welding process. The unstiffened, curved shell hull design, called the Marc Guardian, relies on the inherent strength and stiffness of a curved element and does not requires stiffeners to be attached to the plate surface. Since intermediate transverse web frames are eliminated in the design, Marc Guardian midbodies contain substantially fewer structural components that result in saving in construction costs and time.