Intermarine's production facilities,
lying on the left bank of River Magra in the vicinity
of La Spezia, cover a surface of 76,000 sq. metres with
16,000 sq. metres being under cover.
Ten gantry cranes from 4 to 8 tons
support the transfer and outfitting operations. Two travel
lifts complete the small-crafts operation facility. To
launch the larger vessels, the shipyard features a 90
metre long covered dry-dock, 12 metres wide and completely
covered. Outside, a telescopic structure extends the covered
portion of the dry-dock to over 150 metres. Just in front
of the shed is a 12-metre wide by 40-metre long basin
served by two cranes for the launch of ships up to 100
tons.
The yard uses patented machines for
a controlled GRP lamination process which semi-automatically
control the resin/fiberglass ratio to optimise the quantity
of resin in order to obtain the required mechanical characteristics.
The quality control of the composite
materials is applied to both the raw materials and on
the finished product. The resin quality is tested in the
chemical laboratory by an IR spectrophotometer on numerous
samples. GRP samples are further checked for traction,
bending and breaking loads with mechanical tests while
the entire construction is tested with endoscopic and
ultrasonic systems.
The yard also has a model and woodwork
shop for lofting and with a sophisticated CNC milling
machine to build large size moulds of up to 3 metres by
3 metres by 1 metre.
In La Spezia, down the road from
the main yard, is the outfitting yard and base from where
the sea trials are performed. This area has a surface
area of 2 500 square metres, with 1 600 square metres
being covered. The dock is 80 metres wide in front of
a 5,000 square metre basin. Equipped with workshops, cranes
and lifting systems, this yard has a covered storage area
of 1 500 square metres.
Intermarine is certified to ISO
9001 for quality
and, a first for an Italian shipyard, to ISO 14001 for
the environment. The location of the yard within the Monte
Marcello Magra Natural Park requires strict control of
the air quality and emission quantity. A powerful 600
000 cubic-metre air recycling system with 25 blowers and
active carbon filters allows for 12 full air changes inside
the plant. A great deal of attention is also paid to limiting
the styrene, acetone and dust emissions, and to reduce
noise levels below the legal limits to allow also the
possibility to work at night working along with softening
of the feed water. .