BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 18. The Middle Corridor is viewed as a powerful alternative to traditional maritime routes that have been utilized for many years, MAERSK Central Asia & Caucasus Region Business Development Manager, Irakli Danelia said in a statement at the session titled "International Transport Corridors in the Black and Caspian Seas" at the Black Sea-Caspian Freight Forum 2024 in Baku, Trend reports.
"In the context of global economic turbulence, international logistics operators are focusing on the Middle Corridor—a key project aimed at expanding the mid-border to enhance the reliability and stability of transport routes in Western Europe. This project is seen as a strong alternative to traditional maritime routes. Major cargoes on this route are directed to countries such as Türkiye, Romania, Ukraine, and others. Among the main advantages of the Middle Corridor for market participants and institutions are effective logistics solutions, comprehensive 'single window' services, and high capacity," he said.
Even though the road has its bumps when it comes to digitalization, Danelia pointed out that this corridor is a goldmine of unique opportunities.
"One of the key services is the ability to track containers in real-time, significantly enhancing the reliability and transparency of transport operations. This opens up additional prospects for clients at both the shipping and receiving stages," he added.
To note, the Middle Corridor links the container rail freight transportation networks of China and European Union countries via Central Asia, the Caucasus, Türkiye, and Eastern Europe.
Thanks to this route, multilateral multimodal transportation infrastructure connects ferry terminals of the Caspian and Black Seas with railway systems of China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Türkiye, Ukraine, and Poland. It facilitates increased cargo traffic from China to Türkiye, as well as to European countries and in the opposite direction.
The train route along this corridor hauls cargo from China to Europe in a brisk 20–25 days, and that's one of the biggest feathers in the cap of this transport corridor.