BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 28. Cargo flow from Southwest Asia and the Middle East along the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) has doubled, Trend reports via Russian media.
The volume of cargo flow from India, Iran and Azerbaijan from January through February increased by 60 percent compared to the same period in 2022.
At the same time, cargo traffic from India and Azerbaijan increased by 27 percent.
The INSTC is a multimodal route, 7.2 thousand kilometers long that is an alternative to the sea route connecting Europe, the Gulf countries and the Indian Ocean via the Suez Canal.
The western and eastern parts of the INSTC pass through Iran. The western branch provides Iran’s road transportation through Rasht, the eastern one – by rail.
The final destination in Iran is the port of Bandar Abbas, from which goods can be delivered to India by sea. The western branch also passes through Azerbaijan, the eastern one – through Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. Furthermore, direct sea transportation from Russia via the Caspian Sea to Iran may be carried out.
In addition, the volume of cargo along the INSTC is expected to be almost twice by 2030, from the current 17 to 32 million tons per year.