Baku, Azerbaijan, April 24
By Ali Mustafayev - Trend:
The cargo transportation through the Caspian ports, and particularly through Kazakhstan's port of Kuryk will increase significantly by 2020, said General Director of DARYN Partners Nurzhan Marabayev.
He was speaking at the 3rd SOCAR International Caspian and Central Asia Downstream Forum on Trading, Logistics, Refining and Petrochemicals in Baku April 24.
"Particularly, the volume of transshipment of bulk cargo, including metals, sulfur and others, will increase to 5.5 million tons per year through the Kuryk port, while the transshipment volume of oil and petroleum products - up to four million tons per year," Marabayev said.
He went on to say that the West-East corridor, running through the Caspian region, is one of the few routes allowing to transport goods between Europe and Asia, bypassing countries [Russia and Iran], whose actions are limited to sanctions.
This, according to Marabayev, in turn, increases the possibilities of such ports as Kuryk, Aktau, as well as the Baku International Sea Trade Port in Azerbaijan's Alat.
"Major projects being implemented in Kazakhstan also require expansion of the infrastructure for the export and transit of goods. The list of such cargo includes oil products directly transported from Kazakhstan to the Black Sea countries, as well as sulfur, agricultural products and transit cargo from China," Marabayev said.
He reminded that railway projects on the territory of Kazakhstan have been completed recently.
They allowed to significantly reduce the distance and cost of cargo transportation, and, accordingly, will increase the cargo transshipment volume through the ports of Aktau and Kuryk, he noted.
"Presently, a terminal for bulk cargo, as well as terminals for shipping oil products and liquefied gas, are under construction in the territory of the Kuryk port. Given that the port is also a bay, it operates continuously throughout the year," he said, adding that soon the port will allow to handle both bulk and container cargo.