— advanced general-cargo container carriers designed to permit 

 more economical loading and unloading operations, such as 

 lighter-aboard (LASH) ships, which carry loaded barges, and 

 roll-on/roll-off ships, which carry loaded highway vehicles. 



As a result of this activity, domestic shipyards have the highest 

 peacetime level of backlog orders in history. For example, current 

 projections for this decade show a demand for LNG carriers 

 sufficient to sustain four LNG yards. Continuous operation of ship- 

 yards is a key element in their productivity. 



To support the modernization of the merchant fleet, a strong 

 research and development effort is required to provide the technical 

 innovation necessary to the continuing improvement of ships and 

 ship operations. R&D programs concerned with ship design and 

 construction are funded jointly by the U.S. Maritime Administration 

 (MarAd) and the shipyards. These programs have resulted in lower 

 costs for welding, materials handling, coding, and general shipyard 

 operations and management. Contracts were initiated with five 

 major shipyards to use advanced computer design and fabrication 

 techniques, which promise to halve the man-hours required per ton 

 of fabricated steel. 



A new process for transporting heavy ship sub-assemblies has been developed 

 by the MARAD R&D program. The supporting platform rides on bearings over 

 a thin film of water. Friction is reduced to the point that a 500-ton load can be 

 maneuvered by a small fork-lift truck. 



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