Shiplift Systems

Shiplifts maximise shipyard effectiveness Syncrolift has successfully built over 240 shiplifts worldwide. We make your shipyard flexible, efficient, and most importantly – safe. Over many years, we have tested, refined, and optimized the lifting and launching of ships. A Syncrolift ship lift can radically boost the effective use of your shipyard's area. We aim to dry-dock as many ships as possible yet still enabling you to launch vessels in the order you require. Unlike a traditional floating dry dock, the Syncrolift lets your team lift your vessel out of the water quickly and safely and transfer it to a shore-based dry-berth workstation for maintenance or repairs. Shiplifts are a fast way to lift and launch ships, meaning less inactive time for ship owners and increased productivity for your shipyard, with more ships passing through. Our skilled and experienced engineers will, together with you, find the best technical solution for your shipyard. What is a shiplift? A shiplift is a structural platform. driven by a row of syncronized hoists, that lowers below the waterline so a vessel can float above it - then lifts the vessel vertically out of the water and transfers it to a shore-based dry berth. It is the modern alternative to a graving dock, floating dock or slipway. Lloyd's Register formally classifies shiplifts as Mechanical Lift Docks. The Syncrolift®, the original shiplift, has become the preferred name for the technology itself. Shiplift vs floating dock vs graving dock Shiplift Floating dock Graving dock Vessels docked at once Limited only by yard area 1–3 1–2 Docking cycle Minutes to lift. No ballasting or pumping Hours of ballasting Hours of flooding and pumping Launch order Any vessel, any time Last in, first out* Yard area utilisation Dry berths across the whole yard Fixed to the dock* Typical fit Repair yards and newbuild yards prioritising throughput Deep-water sites, very large singl