Major milestone for BLRT Grupp

BLRT Grupp has reached another major milestone in the construction of a new 200m-long floating dock for Western Shiprepair, one of BLRT Repair Yards in Klaipėda.

The keel-laying ceremony for NB26 was held on August 5 at Hat-San Shipyard in Türkiye, marking the project’s transition into the next phase of structural construction.

The ceremony was honoured by the presence of Dr Ahmet Hamdi Usta, Governor of Yalova; H.E. Marius Janukonis, Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania to Türkiye; Mr Salih Tan, Director General of Coastal Structures at the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure of the Republic of Türkiye; Mr Berat Tunakan, Honorary Consul of Lithuania in Bursa; and Andrejus Babachinas, CEO of BLRT Repair Yards.

They were joined by the project teams whose work has brought NB26 to this important stage.

Following the steel-cutting ceremony held in June 2026, the keel laying confirms the project’s steady progress and represents another significant step towards the delivery of a major new infrastructure asset for Western Shiprepair.

The tailor-made floating dock is being built by Hat-San Shipyard and will measure 200m in length and 35m in width, with a lifting capacity of 15,000 tonnes. Once completed, it will replace one of the docks currently in operation at Western Shiprepair and expand the yard’s ability to accommodate larger vessels, including Panamax-type ships.

Read more like this in the latest issue of DryDock magazine