Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 24
By Azad Hasanli – Trend:
Seven cargo bridges are planned to be built on the territory of the Baku International Sea Trade Port (the Port of Baku) in January-March 2018, Azerbaijani Economy Minister Shahin Mustafayev said.
Mustafayev made the remarks at an expanded meeting dedicated to the results of 2017 and forthcoming tasks in Baku Jan. 24.
“Warehouses, additional buildings and other infrastructure facilities are also planned to be built till March,” he said. “Moreover, the operational building of the Port of Baku is planned to be constructed in May.”
In total, up to 1,500 people are involved and almost 300 units of various construction equipment are used in the construction work.
The minister added that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev attended the opening ceremony of the Ro-Ro terminal in the Baku port, which is capable of receiving 1.8 million tons of cargo per year, in January 2018.
Mustafayev said that upon the president’s decree, the first phase of the construction work is planned to be completed this year.
After the completion of the first phase of construction, the Baku International Sea Trade Port will be able to receive up to 10-11 million tons of cargo per year, and handle up to 50,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) annually.
The second stage of the project envisages the construction of three more cargo berths in the port, while two additional cargo berths will be built at the third stage.
At the second stage, the capacity of the port will reach 17 million tons of cargo and 150,000 TEU, and at the end of the third stage - 25 million tons of cargo and 1 million TEU.
In 2017, the volume of cargo transportation through the Baku International Sea Trade Port (excluding the oil terminal) increased by 31 percent and reached 4.4 million tons compared to 2016. Thus, 85.7 percent of the total volume accounted for transit cargo transportation.