Outfitting
Outfitting is the installation of everything that turns a bare hull into a complete ship — main and auxiliary machinery, piping and valves, electrical cabling, ventilation, deck equipment, navigation and safety systems, and the accommodation. It is one of the most labour-intensive parts of shipbuilding.
Modern yards do as much outfitting as possible early: unit and block outfitting installs equipment into blocks in the workshop before erection, which is far more efficient than working in the confined spaces of a completed hull. Remaining onboard outfitting and commissioning continue after launch at the fitting-out berth.
Outfitting is where most of the labour hours and much of the schedule risk in a newbuilding sit. Moving it early into the blocks — rather than late into a cramped finished hull — is one of the biggest levers a yard has on build time and cost, which is why modern shipbuilding is organised around it.
What is block outfitting?
Installing piping, equipment and cabling into a hull block in the workshop, before the block is erected on the building dock — far more efficient than fitting the same items later inside the completed hull.