Turkmenistan's Balkan Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Plant plans to start building Ro-Ro ferries. In 2024, the enterprise started building two dry cargo ships, the first of which is planned to be commissioned in 14 months, the second - in another three months (that is, both in spring-summer 2025), Azernews reports, citing the Turkmenaragatnashyk agency.

At the same time, according to preliminary calculations, to carry out additional container traffic in the amount of 5 mln tonnes per year between the ports of Turkmenbashi and Baku will need at least 20 more dry cargo ships.

At present, the capacity of the shipyard "Balkan" is designed for the construction of 4 vessels and repair of 20 vessels per year, and investments are needed for the Turkmen shipbuilding to reach its full capacity.

According to data for January-June 2023 on the Turkmenbashi-Alyat line, the total number of transported containers totalled 2,362 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units/TEU), which is almost three times more than in the same period of 2022.