Baku, Azerbaijan, March 28
By Emil Ismayilov - Trend:
The question of simplifying the sailing of Azerbaijani-flagged ships through Russia's inland waterways is still open, the Azerbaijani maritime administration's top official told Trend on March 27.
Ehtiram Rahimov, the deputy head of Azerbaijani State Maritime Administration said despite the fact that there are currently no Azerbaijani-flagged vessels in the Black Sea (they are redirected to the Caspian Sea), the availability of free access to Russia's inland waterways (Volga and Don rivers and the Volga-Don canal) is an important factor when there is a need for Azerbaijani vessels to sail from the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea and back.
"Currently, the procedure for obtaining permission to sail through Russia's inland waterways is rather complicated, taking up a lot of time. Despite the fact that there are currently no Azerbaijani vessels in the Black Sea and the passage to this sea is used only a few times a year, the simplification of sailing procedure remains topical and is negotiable. I believe the talks will give a positive result," Rahimov said.
Currently, there are 481 vessels flying the Azerbaijani flag and registered by Azerbaijan's State Maritime Administration and the International Maritime Organization. However, the total number of existing Azerbaijani vessels exceeds this number.
Translated by E.A.
Edited by C.N.
