BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 25. This week (May 20–25), it became known that Baku Shipyard and Dutch company Damen Shipyards Gorinchem B.V. are accelerating the construction of the dredging vessel "CSD 650" by order of Baku International Sea Trade Port (BISTP), Trend reports.
This vessel may be commissioned at the beginning of 2025 rather than at the end of 2025, as previously expected. Deepening of the seabed in the Caspian Sea water area is important for receiving large ships and their full loading, in particular for the full functioning of the Middle Corridor.
The Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan this week reported that in 2024 it will begin dredging in the port of Kuryk and the construction of a container hub in the port of Aktau, and these works can be financed by investments that are planned as part of the development of the Middle Corridor. The information also noted that by 2028 it is planned to increase the throughput capacity of Kazakh ports Kuryk and Aktau by 50 percent (total of up to 32 million tons of cargo per year), and container traffic - three times (more than 200,000 TEU per year).
Additionally, it became known this week that the official opening of the region's largest fertilizer storage terminal with a capacity of 2.5 million tons at the Baku International Sea Trade Port (BISTP) in Alat is scheduled for the summer of 2024. This specialized terminal receives products from Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan.
Business development manager for Central Asia and Caucasus region of the world's largest logistics company Maersk Irakli Danelia in an interview with Trend spoke in favor of clear coordination of transportation along the Middle Corridor through simplification of administrative processes, reduction of potential delays in transit of cargo at border and customs points in each country.
Aktau Sea Trade Port this week proposed to set special tariffs for 2024 for container transshipment of cargo along the international corridor "China-Kazakhstan-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Türkiye-Europe", the main part of which is the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TİTR, or Middle Corridor). At the same time, preferential tariffs are offered subject to the provision of similar rates for transshipment at the Baku International Trade Port in Alat (BITP), as well as discounts on transportation by railway operators in Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye.
Additionally, provided certain cargo volumes are guaranteed, the Kuryk port in Kazakhstan is open to discussing special arrangements with shippers and freight carriers.
Furthermore, for the first time, on May 23, a ferry with three Chinese trucks (weighing 80 tons each) loaded with products from Urumqi city on the route: Urumqi (China) - Kuryk (Kazakhstan) - Baku (Azerbaijan) - Georgian ports was sent from Kazakhstan's Kuryk port to Baku port along the Middle Corridor. The transport departments of Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan emphasized that for the first time in history, the possibility was presented for transit of Chinese vehicles (trucks) to the Black Sea along the Middle Corridor through the territories of several states, and the agreement on such a method of transit (in experimental mode) was reached during the meeting of the joint commission of these countries on road transport.
Minister of Transport of Uzbekistan Ilhom Mahkamov told Trend in an interview on the sidelines of the ITF transport conference in Leipzig that the participants of the Middle Corridor agreed on 50 percent discounts on railway transportation tariffs in a five-party format.
The Middle Corridor currently facilitates East-West transit, and Mahkamov says Uzbekistan will work more closely with Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan to enhance it.
Delegation of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC during its visit to China on May 20-22, following negotiations with the leadership of the state corporation "Chinese Railways" agreed that not only container trains with cargoes from Xi'an but also container trains with cargoes from "Lianyungang Port Zone" would go along the Middle Corridor.
Secretary General of the Lianyungang Development Research Association of China's transcontinental Belt and Road Initiative Ling Beizhang stated this week that the Middle Corridor is an important segment of Chinese cargo delivery to Europe, and China's transcontinental Belt and Road Initiative should integrate with this corridor.
Managing Director of the European Neighborhood Council (ENC) Samuel Doveri Vesterbye, in an article on Euroactiv titled "Europe's Strategic Autonomy Relies on the Middle Corridor," noted that the Middle Corridor is the kind of trade area that meets many of the EU's conditions for eurozone development and helps maintain the EU's "strategic autonomy."
Additionally, it should be noted that Georgia's ports on the Black Sea are members of the Middle Corridor. This week, the Georgian National Statistics Service reported that Georgia's ports and terminals handled 3.39 million tons of cargo in the first quarter of 2024, which is eight percent less than the figure for the same period last year.
The Middle Corridor is among the areas of interest in TRACECA's
international transport program.
This week, TRACECA Secretary General Asset Assavbayev, speaking at
the International Transport Forum (ITF or ITF) in Leipzig,
emphasized that taking the necessary steps to further develop
infrastructure at the national level along TRACECA and the Middle
Corridor requires significant funding. Specifically, some 18
billion euros are required for infrastructure development in
Central Asia alone.
Besides, on the sidelines of the ITF in Leipzig, Irish Minister of State for Transport Jack Chambers told Trend that Azerbaijan and several other countries have made impressive progress in the transport sector over the past few years.
As a result of the International Transport Forum (ITF) on May 22-24 in Leipzig, the Dominican Republic, Saudi Arabia, and Oman joined the ITF. Chile took over the chairmanship of the organization from Lithuania.
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