Azerbaijan, Baku/ Trend , corr. S. Aliyev/ The Russian Government has issued permission for passage to Azerbaijani vessels via its domestic waters, a source at the Azerbaijani State Caspian Shipping Company says. The Russian party has given permission for the passage of 14 vessels (28 passages from the Caspian and Azov Seas and back).
To date, the position regarding permission for the passage of Azerbaijani vessels via Russian internal waters remains unchanged. Thus, one vessel may pass to the Caspian and then return back to the Black Sea to the place of constant work only once. To solve these issues, it is necessary to make alterations to relevant Russian legal and regulation enactments.
Notably, in 2006, the Caspian Shipping Company received 25 permits for 14 vessels to pass via Russian domestic waters from the Russian Government. 11 permits out of the total number have been considered for passage to the Caspian and 14 - from the Caspian Sea.
However, despite permission being received, Azerbaijan hopes that it can conclude a long-term agreement on the passage via Russian internal waters. However, to solve this issue, Russia needs to change amendments not only to its Marine Code, but also to existing legislation.
A one-way passage of Azerbaijani vessels via Russian domestic waters costs $20,000 - $25,000. Notably, Russian vessels pay $5.000-6.000 for the same journey. Therefore, the passage of Azerbaijani ships via Russian domestic waters gives a significant benefit to Russia's canal services.