BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 17. The ferries of Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company (ASCO) carried 28,392 passengers in 2024, a 20 percent increase from 2023 (23,729 passengers).
Data obtained by Trend from ASCO indicates that last year, 9,746 passengers used the Kuryk-Alat route, 1,220 - Turkmenbashi-Alat, 14,834 - Alat-Kuryk, and 2,552 - Alat-Turkmenbashi.
In 2023, 8,361 passengers followed the Kuryk-Alat, 485 - Turkmenbashi-Alat, 13,191 - Alat-Kuryk, 1,393 used Alat-Turkmenbashi, 144 used Aktau-Alat, and 155 - Alat-Aktau routes.
To note, the citizens of Azerbaijan wishing to leave the country by ferry must first obtain a special permit from the Operational Headquarters under the Cabinet of Ministers due to quarantine restrictions. Citizens of foreign countries do not need this permission to leave the country. However, all passengers, both citizens of Azerbaijan and foreigners, arriving in the country by ferry must obtain a similar permit.