New floating dock at BLRT
An official ceremony held on August 8 at Tallinn Shipyard, a ship repair facility operated by BLRT Grupp, marked the commissioning of a new floating dock designed for vessel maintenance, repair and upgrade services.
BLRT Grupp, one of the largest industrial holdings in the Baltic region, operates Tallinn Shipyard in Estonia, Western Shiprepair in Lithuania and Turku Repair Yard in Finland, providing comprehensive 24/7 vessel repair and upgrade services. These three yards repair, upgrade and service around 300 vessels annually.
The 180m-long and 30m-wide floating dock, with a lifting capacity of 10,000 tonnes, was completed at the Hat-San Shipyard in Turkey at the end of May 2024. Once all the necessary infrastructure for the dock installation was complete, the dock itself was transported to Tallinn by the Zeus of Finland tug, owned by Alfons Håkans, and positioned in its designated location, previously occupied by the old 15m-long, 27m-wide dock.
“The construction of the new dock for Tallinn Shipyard is the next stage in the group’s ship repair investment programme, through which we have invested €90m over the past five years,” stated Fjodor Berman, Chairman of the BLRT Grupp Management Board. “This step propels the holding to a new level, offering shipowners new opportunities to maintain, repair, and upgrade larger vessels, including Handysize, vessels in Tallinn. This will considerably enhance the competitiveness of both Tallinn Shipyard and the entire ship repair division of BLRT Grupp.”
Tallinn Shipyard’s new floating dock being delivered
“We tend to think of the maritime industry mainly in terms of ships and ports, but this sector has tremendous potential,” commented Kristen Michal, Prime Minister of Estonia. “The commissioning of the new large floating dock at BLRT Grupp’s ship repair yard marks a significant milestone for Estonia’s industrial progress. This investment will substantially expand the yard’s capabilities to service, repair, and upgrade large-capacity vessels. Simultaneously, it will support Estonia’s strategy for developing a hub of environmentally safe and innovative maritime technologies and services. If we approach this wisely, we can transform Estonia into a nation as advanced in maritime technologies as we are today in digital technologies. Such investments make an essential contribution to the implementation of this ambitious plan.”
“We were excited to transport the new floating dock for BLRT Grupp,” says Deniss Lazarevs, a Management Board member of Alfons Håkans, the Finnish company providing towage services. “The challenging tow from Turkey to Estonia covered a distance of nearly 7,000km. Despite the tough economic conditions, we are pleased that BLRT Grupp continues to invest in equipment and expand its operations. We at Alfons Håkans hope that the new BLRT Grupp’s dock will operate smoothly and successfully for a long time.”