Steel plates are the starting blocks of the new ship. Cut into carefully dimensioned sections, they will form the new vessel’s hull and deck.

The steel plates are lowered into a plasma cutting basin and then submerged in water to control overheating and excess dust. Hundreds of sub-assembly panels, each cut to measure, will later be combined to form the basic building blocks of the new ship.

When the first cut in the first plate of the new ship was made, the traditional steel cutting ceremony was held. During the ceremony the shipyard and owner’s representative gather in the steel-cutting workshop to witness the event and ceremoniously press on the start to begin the process.