Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 6
By Maksim Tsurkov - Trend:
Ukraine offers carriers to use the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route for carrying goods to Central Asia bypassing Russia, said the Ukrainian Infrastructure Ministry in a message posted on its website Jan. 6.
A container train will depart Jan. 15 from Illichivsk, Ukraine, for a test journey to China through Georgia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan (via the Caspian and the Black seas), read the message.
"The route is the Silk Road's new direction and an alternative that allows redirecting cargo traffic in easterly direction, bypassing Russia's territory", said the message. "It [the route] includes ferry services across the Black and Caspian seas (Illichivsk-Batumi and Alat-Aktau) and is designed to be competitive as compared to the traditional overland route."
"Technologies, expedited delivery times, and tariff conditions have been agreed upon to launch the container train, and operators have been defined for it," said the message. "The test journey [of the container train] will open up an alternative way to deliver cargos from Ukraine to the countries in Central Asia. The train will contain roughly 20 cars."
Earlier, Russia completely ceased goods' transits from Ukraine through its territory.
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