Azerbaijan State Railway Department (ASRD) hasnt restored the reception of oil cargos from south direction. It is justified through the issue that in result of the returned volume of cargo transportation, Azerbaijani railway sustained lack in the locomotive park, Trend reports with reference to the Transport Ministry of Azerbaijan.
According to the information provided by the same ministry, this year the volume of cargo transportation increased suddenly. The cargo transportation increased both from the country and transit. According to information of ASRD, within the first half-year of 2006, the volume of cargo transportation was 15.1 mln tones which are 3.3 mln t. more than planned volume.
According to the representative of the ministry, this year, the increase is observed in all types of cargos. Besides, the execution of the agreement for transportation of Ukrainian pipes to Turkmenistan started, as well as transportation of Turkmen oil products from the Russian port of Makhachgala to Georgian port of Batumi through the territory of Azerbaijan.
At the moment, the oil of the partners of Azerbaijan International Operation Company (AIOP) is also transported from Azerbaijan to Batumi port. The main foreign buyer, as well as transit country for Azerbaijan oil products is Georgia, to which they are exported through rail link.
In September, AIOC is planning to stop the export of Azeri light oil to Batumi through the rail link. The termination of the export is related with the issue that Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline was put into exploitation. By the beginning of September, the BTC Co. Company is planning to complete several works of the pipeline of Baku0-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and it will allow to export more volume of oil. This year, more than 430 thousand tones of Azeri Light oil was exported to Batumi.
Besides, the problem exiting in locomotive parks, the Georgian Batumi port is also observed with problems which dont permit to manage such volume of cargos in favorable summer period. In its turn, it leads to important deficit of consignor of goods.
In middle of July, five new locomotives were delivered to Baku, purchased by ASRD from Russian companies. Each locomotive amounted to AZN 2 mln. However, the transport minister of Azerbaijan Ziya Mammadov noted that at the moment there is need to modernize the locomotive park of Azerbaijan, 80 of which has lost their sources.
According to the head of Russian Railways OSC Vladimir Yakunin, the company announced a regime of urgent return of vans in connection with their deficit for export of oil products in direction of Black Sea ports of CIS.
Today, there is a hard situation on Russian-Azerbaijan border. The cargos increase with intensive rates and we sustain deficit of empty train, he told.
Yakunin noted that the issue regarding return of coaches is discussed within the Council of CIS countries for railway transport and should be resolved in the near future.
According to information provided by ASRD, 2 276 coaches with oil and oil products are situated in and near Batumi port. 796 of them have been loaded with mazut and 688 with raw oil and remaining part different types of oil cargos.