BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 17. Last week it became known that Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company (ASCO) CJSC transported 2.3 million tons of cargo from January through September 2022, which is 21 percent more than in the same period the previous year (1.9 million tons), Trend reports via ASCO.
The Ro-Pax ferries and ships handled 30,461 carriers and 26,715 cars. The transshipment of carriers slightly decreased and cars by 13.5 percent or 4,178 units. The bulk carriers belonging to the ASCO sea flotilla transported 807,000 tons of bulk goods, which is 22.4 percent or 233,000 tons less than from January through September 2021.
Moreover, The World Bank (WB) said that the Caspian Sea provides numerous advantages for Azerbaijan in building and developing economic ties through the maritime economy. The Caspian Sea is connected to the Black Sea by the Don and Volga rivers, which makes Azerbaijan a crucial connecting country between Asia and Europe and the East and West transport corridor, while Baku Alat port, being the most strategic part of Azerbaijan’s logistics infrastructure, can successfully serve for the transportation of raw materials and finished products from China and Central Asia to Western markets.
Also, Visa launched Mobility & Transit Transaction (MTT) technology for the first time in Azerbaijan. This technology allows combining payment for travel on public transport for 24 hours in a single transaction, which is deducted by a single payment at the end of the day. The service has been launched at all 14 stations of the Baku Ring Route equipped with turnstiles with contactless payment readers. Passengers can pay the fare not only by bank cards but also using devices with built-in NFC-module (phone, watch or payment ring).
In addition, member countries of TRACECA [Europe-Caucasus-Asia Transport Corridor] launched the first pilot transportation of goods using the global transit document (GTrD). The results of the first pilot transports using GTrD are expected to be considered at the next fourth meeting of the working group tentatively scheduled for January 2023.