The company uses marine airbags for ship launching. Airbags are a series of inflated tubes, cylindrical in shape with hemispherical heads at both ends. These are placed underneath the ships, which either inflate or deflate to launch or dock the ship to and from the water. The technology allows for less infrastructure, cost and risk.
Historically, the first use of air bags for ship launching was in 1981, where the Xiao Qinghe ship repair and building shipyard located in Jinan, Shangdong China, launched a 60 DWT tank barge
Over 30 years have passed and the technology today has improved as rubber dipped synthetic tyre cords are used as reinforcement for the trunk, and two cone shaped ends are attached at each end. All the parts are laced together so there are no joints, making the product more durable and reliable. They are built for heavy use, and surface layers are strengthened for anti abrasion and puncture resistance. The technology is flexible as it allows for both flat and V shaped bottom ships. There are no limitations for the ship shape, size, and slope of the beach to conduct the launching/docking. Use of airbags is superior to traditional ship launching techniques as the airbag's elasticity provides more protection, require minimal maintenance, and allows for more flexible launching in the slope, height and direction changes by merely manipulating the air pressure of the airbags.
The supplier for SAS Shipyard airbags are Qingdao Shunhang Marine Supplies Co. Ltd, located in Jimo industrial park, Qingdao, Shandong, China. The technology being used for these airbags is the whole winding technique, where the rubber dipped synthetic tyre cords are wound around the capsule, solving the weakness of uneven pressure on the walls when compressed by the ship, and eliminating risks of delaminating, bubbling, or bursting.
