BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 6. In addition to container shipping, the Baku International Seaport plans to expand its general cargo terminal and specialized terminals, advisor to the director of Baku International Seaport LLC, a subsidiary of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC, Khudayar Hasanli, said, Trend's correspondent reports.
He made the remarks at the German-Azerbaijani Conference on Strategic Partnership and Connectivity in Baku on Tuesday.
Hasanli noted that the Port of Baku is one of the key elements of Azerbaijan’s transportation sector and the Middle Corridor:
“We are developing the port not merely as a seaport, but as one of the region’s main logistics centers. One of Azerbaijan’s main goals is to become a regional logistics and transportation hub.”
According to K. Hasanli, the growth in cargo traffic between China and Europe, as well as the Black Sea countries, in recent years, especially since the pandemic, has significantly increased interest in the Middle Corridor.
He noted that, against the backdrop of this trend, there are plans to expand the port’s container capacity and increase its throughput capacity for other types of cargo.
“We plan to expand not only container shipping but also the general cargo terminal and specialized terminals. For example, we want to increase our capacity to handle cargo such as fertilizers from Central Asia,” he said.
K. Hasanli added that the Baku Port’s container throughput capacity currently stands at 150,000 TEU. In the near future, plans call for increasing this figure to 260,000 TEU, and in the second phase, the port’s total cargo handling capacity will increase to 25 million metric tons, including a container throughput capacity of up to 500,000 TEU.
Moreover, he emphasized that expanding physical infrastructure alone is not enough for the development of the Middle Corridor; it is also important to improve operational efficiency along the entire route.
“The two main factors in this corridor are time and cost. Currently, time is the more significant factor. Timely and scheduled transportation of cargo from East to West and vice versa will enable the continued development of the corridor,” said Hasanli.
He stated that the infrastructure and freight transport capabilities of each country along the corridor must be coordinated with one another. Problems with capacity or efficiency on any section of the route could affect the functioning of the Middle Corridor as a whole.
Hasanli noted that container traffic in Baku has been growing rapidly in recent years. In 2024, the port handled more than 77,000 TEU, and in 2025, more than 107,000 TEU. By the end of 2026, this figure is expected to exceed 120,000 TEU.
He noted that the growth rate of container traffic is outpacing the development of physical infrastructure: “Therefore, all participants in the Middle Corridor must simultaneously expand both their infrastructure capacity and their operational efficiency.”
