BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 26. The State Civil Aviation Agency (CAA) has not allowed Russian Ural Airlines to operate flights on the Zhukovsky-Baku flight route until the end of February, Trend reports.
The reason was a late application from the Russian company. Ural Airlines had planned to launch this flight on February 8, but still did not have permission and therefore canceled the entire February schedule on this route.
Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company CJSC (ASCO) has disclosed details about the creation of the first diving vessel with a hybrid engine in Azerbaijan. Its construction aligns with ASCO's environmental policy, meets the requirements of the international maritime organization, and makes a significant contribution as part of the initiatives for the 'Green World Solidarity Year', declared by President Ilham Aliyev. This diving vessel will be capable of operating at depths of up to 60 meters, with a speed of 12 knots, and will be equipped with a cargo crane.
CEO/General Director of Azerbaijan Maritime Engineering & Construction LLC (AMEC) Rashad Shakarov has told Trend about recommendations for expanding the fleet of Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company (ASCO). According to him, the shipping company needs large modern dredging vessels, crane ships, and auxiliary barges. "This will meet Azerbaijan's plans to become a major trade and transportation hub," Shakarov noted.
AMEC, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2024, expects to increase its contract portfolio given the rapid development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR, Middle Corridor) and the expected growth in freight traffic. AMEC founder and head Rashad Shakarov noted that "Azerbaijan plays a key role in the functioning of the Middle Corridor and other trade and transportation projects, and it should be an effective hub." In his opinion, Azerbaijan needs to think through and solve several procedural and logistical issues to establish commercially beneficial operations as a hub. "More logistics parks, consolidation of terminals for receiving and storing cargo, simplification of customs procedures and permit systems for cargo carriers are required," the AMEC head said.
The Director of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for Kazakhstan Huseyin Ozhan noted in an interview with Trend that in January 2024 at the EU Investors Forum on EU-Central Asia Transport Connectivity in Brussels, the EBRD expressed its readiness to invest about 1.5 billion euros in infrastructure related to the Middle Corridor over the next 2-3 years. According to a memorandum of understanding signed in Brussels by EBRD Vice President Mark Bowman and Kazakр Minister of Transportation priority projects in Kazakhstan for the development of the Middle Corridor will include the modernization of container handling equipment and the development of a container terminal at the port of Aktau, double tracking and electrification of the national railway network, development of the Shalkar-Beineu road and rehabilitation of roads adjacent to the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), such as relevant sections of the Aktobe-Kyzylorda road. EBRD is also exploring several infrastructure connectivity initiatives in Uzbekistan and the Kyrgyz Republic related to the TITR.
The volume of cargo moving through the "Central Trans-Caspian Transport Network" (part of the Middle Corridor) may increase from 18,000 20-foot containers (TEU) at present to 130,000 TEU by 2040. These figures were cited by the Director of EBRD for Kazakhstan Huseyin Ozhan to Trend, based on the EU's Global Gateway strategy. The EBRD estimates the total investment needs for the 34 identified priority projects needed to significantly improve the Central Trans-Caspian Transport Network at around 18.5 billion euros.
Azerbaijan Railways CJSC (ADY) announced the volume of transportation of 20-foot containers for 2023. "In the operations of import, export and transit in 2023, ADY transported a total of 105,265 twenty-foot containers." By this type of freight transportation in 2023, Azerbaijan Railways transported 1.274 million tons of cargo, which is 29 percent more than in 2022.
Caspian Policy Center's (CPC) Advisory Board Member Richard Hoagland, a well-known American diplomat who has worked in the Caspian region countries for many years, published an article "The European Union Enhances its Presence in The Caspian Region". "We should observe how an investment of 10 billion euro will develop and institutionalize the Middle (Trans-Caspian) Corridor, bypassing Russia in the long term to expand trade and transportation from China to Europe," he said. "Investments from the EU in the development of the Middle Corridor will focus on projects such as further upgrading of the port of Baku and Georgia's railroads, as well as projects that will complement the reasonably well-developed Middle Corridor infrastructure in Kazakhstan," Hoagland added. He further noted that as a clear symbol of the EU's renewed commitment to the Caspian Sea region, the EU plans to hold a summit with Central Asian leaders in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, in April 2024.
Finland supports the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, the Finnish Embassy in Kazakhstan said. "Investments in the Middle Corridor benefit Finland and Finnish companies. Thanks to the Middle Corridor, transport routes are diversified and the time of transportation of goods from Asia to Europe is shortened," the embassy said.
The Parliament of Kazakhstan ratified the intergovernmental agreement with Türkiye on international combined transportation of goods, the purpose of which is to further develop the transit-transport potential and trade and economic relations between the countries. The document was signed on May 10, 2022, in Ankara, Türkiye. The agreement is aimed at increasing cargo traffic through the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (using the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad, Caspian Sea ports, and the Western Europe-Western China international transit corridor) and, accordingly, increasing trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Türkiye. Instead of two waybills for combined transportation by rail and sea, a single digital document is being introduced, which can be issued through an automated digital platform.
Visa's Vice President and Regional Manager for Central Asia and Azerbaijan Cristina Doros reported in an exclusive interview with Trend about the implementation of several socially significant projects. These include, for example, transportation solutions, such as the ability to pay for transportation fares contactless with a regular bank card, without the need to purchase additional transportation cards and replenish them. "In partnership with the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA), the International Bank of Azerbaijan (ABB), and Azerbaijan Railways (ADY), we have implemented a contactless fare payment system on the Baku-Sumgayit branch line. Validators (card payment acceptance terminals) have been installed at 14 stations," she added.
According to Cristina Doros, in terms of the development of transportation systems, the technology introduced by Visa on railway routes is only the beginning. "We are open to discussing the possibilities of introducing contactless payment in the Baku metro, ground transportation, and so on. Our Mobility & Transit Transaction (MTT) technology allows us to unify all payments in public transportation. This is a huge prospect - for example, payment for parking spaces can be integrated here as well. These issues are part of a process that aims to develop a smart city. We are interested that the development of the capital as a 'smart' city continues, and therefore we are ready to cooperate with all operators of transportation systems in Azerbaijan," she said, adding that Visa holds a leading position in the world in the development of payment solutions for transportation.
Azerbaijan and China discussed possibilities of introducing environmentally friendly technologies, Azerbaijani Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov said on X. "During the meeting with Ivan Cao, the Deputy General Director of BYD Central Asia (BYD Company), our discussions focused on the directions of the collaboration between our country and the company, the realization of joint projects and opportunities for implementing environmentally friendly technologies," he said. To note, BYD is the world's leading manufacturer of electric cars.
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