ELA-Container - Temporary Living Quarters for Vessels and Mobile Space Systems

Over the last year the ocean vessel Blue Giant (CombiDock II) has been in action in the Gulf of Mexico, and the crew’s quarters on-board the ship are ELA containers from Haren (Ems, Germany). About 200 seamen live, eat and sleep in the 54 containers. The mobile space system provides sleeping quarters, dressing, dining and recreation rooms, as well as a fully equipped galley.

Fireproof stairways, automatic climate control, electronic monitoring systems and evacuation plans ensure safety on-board the ship. The friendly and comfortable interior has been created with modern fittings from ELA’s furniture pool.

Marine accommodation containers and mobile space systems

Secure and economical crew quarters on the high seas are playing an increasingly important role for surveying and opening up natural resources, as well as the development of offshore wind parks. With the construction of accommodation on an ocean vessel, the German container specialist ELA, from Haren (Ems), has just brought one of its most remarkable projects to a close.

In summer 2008 the container specialist completed assembly of the final module of a six-storey space system on an ocean-going vessel at the Lloyd shipyard in Bremerhaven, Germany. The ELA construction is therefore more than twice the height of a single-family home.

"The advantage of the mobile space system is the adaptable position of the crew’s quarters," emphasised ELA’s managing director Günter Albers. "The ELA space system can be taken apart whenever needed."

Offshore accommodation container complex

The ELA construction reached the shipyard at Bremerhaven following a journey along the German North Sea coast from the port at Papenburg. On the day of its arrival the first section of the container complex was hoisted into the ship’s hulk.

Preparations for the final assembly lasted a further two weeks. First of all ELA specialists had to modify both the connection and the hatch cover for the on-deck accommodation. At the beginning of July all preparations had been completed and with the aid of a pontoon crane ELA specialists positioned the two remaining structures on the ship’s upper deck, anchoring them within the space of just a few hours.

"Due to the complexity of the task and the need to make the structure able to withstand sea voyages, constructing a container for 200 seamen has been an exciting challenge," said Albers.

In addition to its core business with transport and storage containers, as well as temporary solutions for living, workplace, schools and office containers, the company also likes to take on more challenging projects.

Key data of the mobile space system and accommodation containers

Object: roll-on / roll-off ship

Current charter: open sea / Gulf of Mexico

Concept: adaptable positioning of crew quarters for the current charter, for which approximately 200 additional fitters will be required; dismantling for a subsequent charter that may not require the additional fitters

Realisation: mobile space solutions by ELA; container module 1 on the main deck (ship’s hulk); container module 2 on the upper deck (hatch cover)

Storeys: three per container module

Fixture to the deck / hatch cover: via container corners and quick-ties (tight-fitting twist locks) that can be released when required

Facilities per module (for approximately 100 persons):

• Dining rooms
• Recreations rooms
• Changing rooms
• Sleeping quarters for two, three and four persons
• Showers and WC rooms
• Galley

Classification society: Germanischer Lloyd

Required materials (interior):

• Insulation 100mm, foil laminated, fire resistance class A1
• Walls, ceilings and floors from the sea cruises sector
• Full air conditioning system
• Electrical installations including emergency system
• Fire protection system

Required materials (exterior):

• Suitably thick crimped steel plate, sand-blasted, primed and with a 240my coat of paint
• Portholes with 12mm-thick safety glass

Construction time: three months

About ELA’s containers and mobile space systems business

ELA, the family-owned business in Germany’s Emsland, has been continuously developing container technology and the rental service since 1972. The company now employs around 350 people based throughout Europe. The fleet of 40 specially equipped lorries with loading cranes delivers to customers all over Europe.