Turkish shipyards seek further expansion into new territories

The first of two 99 m Multi-Purpose Mission Ships (MPMSs) for the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency's (MMEA's), built by Desan Shipyard subsidiary Atlas Shipyard and launched on 2 October 2026. (Devrim Yaylali)

A strategy of expanding maintenance and production with local partners outside Türkiye should bring benefits, two Turkish shipbuilders have told Janes at the Euronaval 2026 exhibition, held in Paris from 3-6 November.

“If you compare Malaysia with Singapore, you will see that Singapore, despite being a very small country measuring approximately 53 km from one side to the other, has 72 shipyards. Malaysia, by contrast, has fewer than ten,” Bülent Taneri, business development manager at Türkiye's Desan Shipyard, said, describing the company's decision to invest in a shipyard in Malaysia.

In April 2021, Desan commenced construction of a new shipyard in Malaysia, located within the Straits of Melaka Waterfront Economic Zone (SM-WEZ), an integrated development zone established by the State of Malacca near the the Strait of Malacca (Selat Melaka in Malay).

“The shipyard's primary business will be repair and maintenance. We are among the best in this field, so this will be an important part of our operations. However, it will also have new-build capabilities,” Taneri said. He added that Malaysia needs shipbuilding and ship-repair capacity, and that Desan believes it can transfer the expertise it has developed in Türkiye and build vessels in Malaysia.

Developed under a joint venture and cooperation agreement between Desan and its local partner, the project involves the construction of a modern shipyard capable of both military and commercial shipbuilding, as well as maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) activities. The facility will span a total of 171 acres, with Phase 1 covering 94 acres and Phase 2 an additional 77 acres.