On August 8th, BLRT Repari Yards in Tallinn, a member of BLRT Grupp marked a major milestone with the commissioning of a new floating dock to maintain, repair, and modernise larger vessels.

Built to accommodate Handysize vessels, the floating dock measures 180 meters in length, 30 meters in width, and has a lifting capacity of 10,000 tons. The FD22 was completed at the HAT-SAN Shipyard in Turkey in May 2024.

After all the necessary infrastructure preparations were completed, the FD22 was transported to Tallinn by the tug Zeus of Finland, operated by Alfons Håkans, and now resides in its home yard, replacing the older floating dock, which measured 155 meters in length and 27 meters in width.

“The construction of a new dock for the Tallinn ship repair plant marks another milestone in the group’s ship repair investment plan. We’ve invested 90 million euros over the past five years as part of this plan. This step allows the group to reach new heights and opens up exciting opportunities for shipowners seeking maintenance, repair, and modernization services for larger ships, including Handysize-sized vessels, in Tallinn,” explained Fjodor Berman, Chairman of the Board of BLRT Group.

“We are used to thinking about maritime mainly in the context of ships and ports, but in fact, it is an industry with great potential. The introduction of a new large floating dock at BLRT Group’s ship repair plant is an important step for the growth of the industry in Estonia,” said Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal.

A new floating dock helps Estonia one step closer to its future goal

“This investment will significantly improve the capacity to maintain, repair and modernise large vessels. At the same time, it also supports the strategy of the Estonian state to develop into a centre of environmentally friendly and innovative shipping services. If we act wisely, we can transform Estonia into a strong maritime nation, in addition to being known as a digital country. Thanks to such investments, it greatly contributes to fulfilling this ambitious plan,” commented Prime Minister Kristen Michal on the significant investment.

Denis Lazarevs, board member of the Finnish towing company Alfons Håkans, were happy to deliver the floating dock to BLRT Group. “Towing the dock, the tugboat completed a difficult, nearly 7,000-kilometer journey from Turkey to Estonia in the open sea. It is a pleasure to note that, despite the difficult economic situation, BLRT Grupp continues to invest in equipment and expand its operations.”

BLRT Grupp is one of the largest industrial groups in the Baltic Sea region. BLRT Group has three ship repair yards: Tallinn Shipyard in Estonia, Western Shiprepair in Lithuania, and Turku Repair Yard in Finland. These yards offer full ship repair and modernization services. Approximately 300 ships are repaired, modernised, and maintained annually in these three shipyards.

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