The Viktor Lenac shipyard in the northern Adriatic city of Rijeka has completed scheduled maintenance work on the amphibious transport ship USS Arlington, and a visit to the ship was organised on Thursday.

The Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces, Robert Hranj, said that the fact the US naval vessel has undergone maintenance at Viktor Lenac shows that the US government and navy trust the certificates, abilities and skills of the people in this shipyard.

“This proves that bilateral relations between Croatia and the US, in particular between their armed forces, are very good. We in the armed forces regard the US as our main strategic partner in defence and security,” Hranj said.

He took the opportunity to thank the United States for assisting Croatia over the last 25 years through personnel training, joint exercises and donations, citing Kiowa Warrior and Black Hawk helicopters and Bradley fighting vehicles.

Mayor Marko Filipovic said that the overhaul of the USS Arlington showed the ability of Viktor Lenac to perform the most demanding tasks. In the last ten years or so, this shipyard has signed contracts with the US Navy worth around 900 million kuna (€120m), he added.

The ship’s commander, Eric Kellum, said they have taken advantage of their stay to visit Rijeka and its surroundings as well as national parks. He noted that Croatia is one of the strongest NATO partners in the Mediterranean.