Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 9
By Ilkin Shafiyev - Trend:
Russia's Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works (MMK) PJSC intends to supply metal to Turkey via the international transport route Baku-Tbilisi-Kars, the company said in a message.
MMK has already delivered a trial lot of metal products to Turkey via the railway route Magnitogorsk - Baku - Tbilisi - Kars.
"Currently, together with the Azerbaijani operator ADY Express, the possibility of delivering up to 250,000 tons of metal products annually, or about a third of the demand of Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works in Turkey in a hot-rolled coil is being developed on this route," the message reads.
Four containers with a total weight of 120 tons were delivered to a subsidiary of Magnitogorsk Metallurgical Combine in Turkey. The train traveled 5,000 km distance in 17 days. Prior to this, supply of such products of the plant was carried out exclusively by sea through the port in Novorossiysk. Length of the sea route is more than 6,000 kilometers and the travel time is 30 days.
"The diversification of logistic flows will allow the company to reduce the risks associated with conventional prohibitions and bad weather in the Novorossiysk port. Reducing the number of transshipments will also help to avoid mechanical damage to marketable products and ensure the preservation of the quality of the metal. Reducing the delivery time will help to optimize the company's working capital. The new route allows considering the prospect of diversifying exports to the Middle East, Europe and Africa through MMK's own port in the Turkish city of Iskenderun," the message reads.
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