Replacement floating dry dock will enable servicing of Panamax-class vessels at Klaipėda facility
BLRT Grupp, one of the largest industrial holdings in the Baltic Sea region, has signed a USD 43 million contract for the construction of a new floating dry dock for its Western Shipyard in Klaipėda, Lithuania.
The new floating dry dock, measuring 200m by 35m and offering a lifting capacity of 15,000 tonnes, will be built by Turkey’s Hat-San Shipyard. Upon delivery, it will replace one of the yard’s existing docks while enhancing the facility’s capability to service Panamax-class vessels.
The construction of the new floating dry dock marks another stage in BLRT Grupp’s investment programme for its ship repair activities, aimed at significantly expanding the capabilities offered to shipowners across the Group’s ship repair yards operating in three countries, thereby enhancing competitiveness.
Over the past five years, the Group has invested more than EUR 100 million in this business area. The expansion of capacity will enable the Group to service more vessels, including larger-tonnage ships, increase the overall workflow volume, and support the creation of additional jobs, both directly and across related service chains.
“Most recently, in August 2024, a new dock built by the same shipyard was commissioned in Tallinn. 180 m x 30 m, with a lifting capacity of up to 10,000 tonnes, it was accompanied by the full renovation of the surrounding dock infrastructure. In 2020, the largest floating dock in the Baltic States, measuring 235 m x 45 m, and with a lifting capacity of 33,000 tonnes, entered service in Klaipėda, enabling the repair, modernisation, and maintenance of larger vessels. In addition, in the summer of 2025, a 101-metre-long, 22-metre-wide dock with a lifting capacity of 4,500 tonnes in Tallinn was fully modernised,” said Fjodor Berman, Chairman of the Management Board of BLRT Grupp.
The new floating dry dock is scheduled to be commissioned in autumn 2027.
BLRT Grupp is one of the largest industrial groups in the Baltic Sea region. The Group operates three ship repair yards: Tallinn Shipyard in Estonia, Western Shiprepair in Lithuania, and Turku Repair Yard in Finland, providing comprehensive ship repair and modernization services. The Group’s shipyards repair, modernize and service approximately 300 vessels per year.
