Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, April 21 / Trend H.Hasanov /
The State Service of Maritime and River Transport of Turkmenistan at its own expense will sign with a contract Liebherr-Werk Nenzing GmbH (Austria) for the purchase and delivery of two mobile harbor cranes of Liebherr LHM 180 brand for an international port of Turkmenbashi, an official Turkmen source said on Saturday.
The relevant order was signed by President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. The document was signed "in order to further develop the country's transport sector, strengthen the technological base of the international sea port in accordance with the master plan of sea harbor development on the Caspian Sea.
The Turkmen leader has recently focused attention on the need to accelerate the ongoing reconstruction and modernization of the port of Turkmenbashi, designed to become the largest transit hub of the international transport corridor Europe-Caucasus-Central Asia (TRACECA).
This will increase the freight flow of domestic goods via new international route. According to experts, a full-scale reconstruction of the Turkmenbashi sea port will require the investments worth several billion U.S. dollars.
The priorities are the construction of new offshore terminals with multi-purpose berths, capable of receiving ships of any type and capacity and storehouses for processing and storage of transit goods to enable export-import operations, equipped with powerful loading and unloading facilities.
Economic ties of Turkmenistan witness the growing volume of cargo processed at the berths of the Caspian harbour, through which the country's industrial and agricultural equipment is delivered, such cargo as automotive equipment, metal products, wood products, mineral fertilisers are sent abroad to the polypropylene, coke and other petroleum products, chemicals and construction industry.
Dozens of foreign companies expressed their interest in the project. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the International Bank on Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the Government of Turkmenistan have all signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the modernisation of the Caspian Sea port.