Erection joint

An erection joint is the structural weld that joins one fully built hull block to another on the building berth or in the building dock, the seam where the ship is finally assembled. These joints are planned in the block division so they fall at convenient frame or seam lines with good access for welders and for accuracy control. Fit-up at erection is the hardest welding in the yard: blocks are large, gaps and misalignment accumulate from earlier stages, and the work is often overhead or in confined corners after pre-outfitting fills the spaces. Pre-erection joints, made earlier between two blocks at ground level, exist precisely to move work out of this stage.