BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 6. Opportunities for building a terminal for trucks at the Baku port are being explored, Advisor to the Director of Baku International Sea Port LLC under the Azerbaijan Railways CJSC, Khudayar Hasanli, told Trend in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the German-Azerbaijani Strategic Partnership and Connectivity Conference held in Baku on Tuesday.
According to him, truck traffic volumes and future demand involving Central Asia, Türkiye, Europe, and the UK are being taken into account in this regard.
"Market research is currently underway for the truck parking project. This involves assessing the need for parking space, identifying the demand for specific services, and examining other relevant issues. Following the research, a financial model and a feasibility study must be prepared, after which the master plan and the project itself will be finalized," Hasanli explained.
He emphasized that the project is currently only in the research phase, and the specific capacity of the truck terminal has not yet been determined.
"A proposal regarding this was submitted to the government, but the directive was to conduct a study first. It must be resubmitted to the government after the study is complete. Therefore, it is not possible to state the specific scale of the project at this time," Hasanli noted.
He added that work is also continuing to increase container handling capacity as part of the development of the Baku port.
According to him, the work to raise the port's container handling capacity to 260,000 TEU is expected to be fully completed in the second half of next year.
"Dredging operations are underway at the port to reach a capacity of 260,000 TEU, and certain berths are undergoing repair and reconstruction. New port equipment is also being procured; one new crane has already been acquired, and another has been ordered," he said.
He pointed out that the project entails laying new railway lines within the port area, establishing a new container yard, and installing additional equipment.
"We have a new berth, and plans are in place to include it in the project to achieve the 260,000 TEU capacity. Restoration and reconstruction work is currently being carried out to adapt the berth for container handling, and the new crane will also be installed there," Hasanli stressed.
