Capacity was deliberately matched to the ships a dock was expected to handle rather than simply maximized. The Bermuda, Rotterdam, Durban, and Kobe examples show different lift ratings chosen for different local demands. Preventive work performed by a dock lowers the fleet's total repair cost, but the dock itself is expensive machinery exposed to salt water. Unlike a fixed concrete basin, it must be inspected and repaired like a ship while repeated flooding, drying, impacts, and corrosion attack its structure.
Notable Point · 28:44-32:45
The cost of keeping a floating dock afloat
Floating docks reduce ships' long-term repair costs, but they demand their own intensive maintenance in salt water.