The Balkan shipbuilding and ship repair plant in Turkmenistan, together with partners, plans to put into operation the first bulk carrier within 14 months after the start of work.

Such optimal shipbuilding periods are among the shortest in the region, said Batyr Annayev, Deputy Director General of the Agency of Transport and Communications under the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan, during the Global Gateway Investor Forum in Brussels, the website of the Turkmendenizderyayollary agency reports.

The usual procedure for fully commissioning a sea vessel takes about three years. However, thanks to the joint efforts of the plant and its partners, the first Turkmen dry cargo ship should be ready to go to sea within 14 months after keeling. And the launch of the second is planned three months after that, Annayev said.

The plant also intends to start producing RO-RO cargo-passenger ferries. According to calculations, to organize additional container transportation of 5 million tons per year between the ports of Turkmenbashy and Baku, at least 20 more dry cargo ships will need to be built. Attracted investments will help Turkmen shipbuilding achieve such indicators.

In turn, the acting director of the Turkmenbashy international seaport, Seyitguly Baiseidov, spoke at the Global Gateway investor forum in Brussels about the advantages of this largest sea harbor in the Caspian Sea. He emphasized that due to its convenient geographical location at the intersection of trade routes between Europe and Asia, the port provides the most important transport links for the countries of Central Asia.

At the same time, the Government of Turkmenistan has already invested 1.5 billion USD in the modernization of the port, whose cargo turnover now amounts to 17 million tons. And in 2023, the port received a “green” certificate for its commitment to the principles of sustainable development.