Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan, May 3
By Vugar Imanov - Trend:
The opening ceremony of the international seaport in the Pre-Caspian city of Turkmenbashi was held in Turkmenistan, Trend's correspondent reported from the event.
The ceremony was attended by President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.
The ceremony was also attended by numerous foreign guests, representatives of diplomatic missions, including representatives of Azerbaijan - Minister of transport, communications and high technologies Ramin Guluzade, President of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC Javid Gurbanov, Director General of the Baku international sea trade port Taleh Ziyadov, and Ambassador to Turkmenistan Hasan Zeynalov.
The cost of the project, implemented since 2014 by the Turkish Gap inşaat company, exceeds $1.5 billion.
With the commissioning of the new port, great opportunities open up for sending goods coming to Turkmenbashi through the route of the Silk Road from Asia and the Pacific, further – to Europe through the ports of Russia and Azerbaijan.
The new port covers an area of about 152 hectares and includes a common loading terminal, a bulk terminal, a polypropylene terminal, as well as shipbuilding and ship repair docks. A road with overpass junctions has also been built, and railway tracks have been laid.
The total length of berths, which can simultaneously serve 17 ships, is more than 1800 meters. Shipbuilding and ship repair dock "Balkan" was built on the territory of the port. This facility, which has the capacity to process 12,000 tons of steel per year, is designed for the construction of 4 ships and repair of 20 vessels.
The project was developed in accordance with the international "Greenport" standard. The annual cargo handling capacity of the port will be 17-18 million tons excluding oil products. Together with the previously operating port, this figure will be 25-26 million tons.
The international ferry and passenger port will be able to serve 300,000 passengers and 75,000 trailers a year. The container terminal is designed for an average annual capacity of 400,000 TEU (20-foot containers).
The multimodal logistics center operating in the port will provide a range of services for storage and combined handling of containerized cargo delivered by air, road and rail transport, ensuring their transshipment to and from water transport.
The new seaport is designed to become an important link in the formation of a modern maritime transportation system, creating the most favorable conditions for access to the Black Sea region, and in the direction of countries of Europe, the Middle East, South Asia and the Asia-Pacific region, allowing to significantly reduce the distance and travel time for large volumes of cargo.
The new port in Turkmenbashi will also give impetus to the development of industrial and transport infrastructure, and attraction of investments, and will contribute to growth of the inflow of tourists.
