BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 20. MALBI-trans has signed a cooperation agreement with Carpatica Feroviar to develop logistics services along the Middle Corridor, the company’s CEO Liliana Krutonog said in an exclusive interview with Trend.
She pointed out that the deal takes the cake for covering cargo transportation from the Czech Republic to the port of Constanța, with the cherry on top being further delivery to Poti, Batumi, and across the Caspian Sea to the port of Aktau.
“At the outset, the primary determinant is the client's
articulated requirements, inclinations, and overarching logistics
framework conceptualization.” Over three years prior, our clientele
initiated inquiries regarding this specific transit pathway,
referred to as the Middle Corridor. This situation arises from the
fact that numerous prominent European enterprises with governmental
involvement are unable to utilize the northern corridor through
Brest–Małaszewicze, traversing Belarus and Russia, owing to
prevailing sanctions and regulatory constraints, in addition to
internal corporate policies that explicitly forbid that
pathway.
In the pursuit of a viable alternative, clients frequently engage
with esteemed logistics providers that deliver bespoke solutions,
including our services. We proposed this trajectory due to our
prior operational proficiency navigating it from the Czech
Republic. Specifically, we have previously optimized logistics by
channeling shipments through the Koper port and the Italian port of
Trieste. We additionally executed pilot consignments through the
Constanța logistics hub,” Krutonog articulated.
According to her, Constanța is viewed as a golden opportunity, paving the way for a bright future with plenty of room to grow. She mentioned that Carpatica Feroviar is all in when it comes to boosting the route’s capacity and sprucing up the infrastructure, with talks already in the pipeline about bringing state companies, transport ministries, and infrastructure organizations into the fold.
Expansion of the route via Constanța
“In accordance with the executed contractual framework with
Carpatica Feroviar, our organization will engage in operations via
the Constanța maritime terminal.” This is perceived as a suboptimal
yet underexploited channel that facilitates the acquisition of
supplementary freight capacities. In collaboration with our
strategic partners, we engaged in a high-profile conference where
we fulfilled the role of a silver sponsor. During the site visit,
we conducted a comprehensive tour of the urban landscape and
maritime facilities, evaluated the existing infrastructure
frameworks, and executed strategic presentations tailored for our
clientele.
We perceive this trajectory as the most advantageous: novel,
underexploited, and primed for expansion, facilitating the
augmentation of our cargo throughput. While the Middle Corridor
currently exhibits a comparative deficiency in throughput relative
to the Brest–Małaszewicze route," she pointed out.
Krutonog also mentioned that trains will be rolling out from Prague, Brno, Ostrava, and other Czech hubs to Constanța, where cargo will be shipped primarily to Poti and then across the Caspian Sea to Aktau.
Middle Corridor development and emerging services
"Right from the start, we looked into the route closely,
checking out possible infrastructure hurdles and the overall
capacity.
We are seeing a notable uptick in activity along the Middle
Corridor, as more and more industry players, both newcomers and
established freight operators, are stepping into the space. Many
transport providers are now rolling out this route to their clients
and bringing us on board to provide specialized services. The
corridor’s expansion stands out: cargo volumes have shot up
significantly, with transit volumes almost doubling from 2022 to
2025.
As we look ahead to the rest of 2025, we plan to build on our
ongoing projects and roll out new initiatives. Among other things,
we’re getting involved in tenders that look into routing through
the port of Constanța and the wider Middle Corridor," Krutonog
said.
The CEO emphasized that the project is all about intermodal container transport, weaving together the threads of maritime, rail, and road segments into a seamless tapestry. The container is the bread and butter of transport, easily hopping from one mode to another without missing a beat. In the past, the maritime segment was a small pond with just 2–3 shipping companies making waves, but now it’s a bustling sea of options, with new routes like a direct line to Poti making quite the splash.
“The corridor is developing and will continue to develop. We expect that next year we will be able to present new stable services working in this direction,” Krutonog noted.
Intermodal container transportation with sea and railway integration
“This trajectory encompasses two distinct nautical segments. Given its integration within the intermodal logistics framework, the container functions as the quintessential unit, adept at facilitating seamless transitions across terrestrial, rail, and maritime modalities,” she explained.
Krutonog pointed out that the company is putting all its eggs in
one basket by blending existing routes with fresh ones to give
clients a smorgasbord of products and services. This encompasses
system trains hailing from the Czech Republic. The cargo makes its
way to the port, hops aboard ships, and then is handed off to
partner services, with the maritime leg handled by the pros in the
field.
She mentioned that when they hit the ground at the port, shipments
are woven into the broad-gauge rail network, linking up the
countries of the former USSR and other states that once played ball
in the relevant regional transport associations.