ALSTOM Chantiers de l'Atlantique, France

Queen Mary 2, the world's grandest passenger liner, sets sail

ALSTOM Chantiers de l'Atlantique builds the Queen Mary 2 and uses Intergraph PDS® to design portions of the ship.

The Queen Mary 2, built by ALSTOM Chantiers de l'Atlantique for Cunard Line, is truly a modern marvel. Creating this historic ship involved five years of planning and construction – and thousands of workers from around the world.

At the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard and at the subcontractor's site in Spain, Intergraph’s PDS® played a crucial role in the design and outfitting of the Queen Mary 2. About 65 installations of PDS were used for both 3D and logical design.

"We used PDS for the same reason as engineers who are designing plants – because it saves time and money and improves engineering quality," says Olivier Le Bihan, design office manager for the shipbuilder. "Chantiers de l'Atlantique employed PDS at the very early stage called 'general arrangement,' right after Cunard Line placed the order and at the detail design stage, including production of isometric drawings for construction."

With PDS, Chantiers de l'Atlantique designed the Queen Mary 2's engine room along with all related compartments and equipment for generating electrical power, processing fresh water, disposing of refuse and connecting to the air-conditioning system. Within the power generation spaces designed with PDS, four Wartsila diesel alternators and two General Electric gas turbines generate some 115 megawatts for shipboard use.

Le Bihan also said Intergraph SmartPlant® Review, which allows in-depth analysis and review of complex 3D modules, was used on the construction site, near the ship, to facilitate pre-outfitting and outfitting. During pre-outfitting, part of the networks for electricity, water and piping were installed. Outfitting is the last stage of construction, where the topside and the hull are merged and final installations are made.

In all, the Queen Mary 2 represents 8 million working hours. Yet Chantiers de l'Atlantique completed construction in less than two years. In September 2003, the ship began its sea trials. Three months later, on Monday, Dec. 22, Cunard Line officially took delivery of the Queen Mary 2.

On Jan. 8, 2004, Queen Elizabeth formally named the ship during a ceremony in its home port of Southampton, England. Four days later, the Queen Mary 2 began its 14-day maiden voyage with calls at Madeira, Tenerife and Las Palmas in the Canary Islands and Barbados and St. Thomas in the Caribbean before arriving at its U.S. winter home port in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

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