This thoroughly revised and expanded edition presents a comprehensive guide to the principles and practices of modern ship construction, providing readers with an integrated understanding of the complete shipbuilding process. From ship classification and structural design to fabrication, welding, quality assurance, and accuracy control, the book combines engineering fundamentals with practical shipbuilding applications.

The new edition has been substantially enhanced with expanded coverage of inland vessels, service vessels, and tugboats, along with detailed discussions on structural components, material selection, corrosion protection, plate and section forming, and the line-heating process. Particular emphasis is placed on welding, a critical aspect of ship construction, with comprehensive treatment of welding processes, welding-induced residual stresses, distortion mechanisms, and practical techniques for distortion control to ensure structural integrity and dimensional accuracy.

A significant addition is a dedicated section on underwater welding, covering dry and wet welding methods, equipment, operational procedures, and essential safety practices. The book also presents an expanded discussion on welding defects, particularly crack formation, and introduces a comprehensive chapter on Quality Assurance, including standards for fusion-welded joints, assessment of imperfections, fatigue-related quality considerations, and methods of accuracy control.

Organized in a logical sequence and supported by numerous illustrations, engineering drawings, and practical examples, the book effectively bridges theory and industrial practice. It serves as an invaluable reference for students, researchers, educators, naval architects, marine and welding engineers, shipyard professionals, and others involved in the design, construction, repair, and maintenance of ships.

Nisith Ranjan Mandal is Chair Professor Fellow at the Technology Innovation and Development Foundation (TIH Division), IIT Guwahati. He previously served as Professor in the Department of Ocean Engineering and Naval Architecture at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur from 2003 until his superannuation in 2017, having joined the department as a faculty member in 1987. During his academic career, he also served as Head of the Department (2007–2010) and Dean (Students' Affairs) (2012–2015). Prior to joining academia, he worked as a Naval Architect at Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd., Kolkata, and as a Lecturer at the Institute of Shipbuilding Technology, Goa.

Mandal obtained his B.Tech. (Honours) in Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering from IIT Kharagpur in 1976 and earned his Ph.D. in Shipbuilding from the Ship Research Institute, Technical University of Gdańsk, Poland, in 1985. His research interests include ship design and production, computational weld mechanics, welding technology, welding distortion control, marine structural fabrication, friction stir welding of marine-grade aluminium alloys, and standardization of boat and ship designs. He has successfully led numerous sponsored research and industrial consultancy projects in these areas.

Mandal has published several research papers in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings and is the author of several widely referenced books on welding technology and ship construction. He is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA), a Fellow of The Institution of Engineers (India), and a designated Member of the American Welding Society (AWS).