BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 1. Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are working on a project to build ferries capable of transporting up to 120 railway cars at once, Deputy Chairman of the Railway and Water Transport Committee at the Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan, Kasym Tlepov, said during a World Bank Group online event titled "Middle Corridor: Next Stage" today, Trend’s correspondent reports.
According to Tlepov, the ferries currently used for transport between Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan have a limited capacity for railcars, necessitating the splitting of trains.
"The ferries currently in use, operated by ASCO, can carry a maximum of only 44 railcars. Consequently, the train has to be split: 44 cars are loaded at Kuryk and transported to Alat. Then, the next ferry travels to Kuryk to pick up the remaining 15–20 cars. Those 44 cars sit waiting at Alat, and as a result, efficiency drops," he said.
Tlepov noted that Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are considering the construction of new ferries capable of transporting two trains simultaneously.
"We have now reached the understanding that the Caspian Sea shouldn't be a sea that divides us; rather, it should serve as a connecting bridge, and together with our Azerbaijani colleagues, we are currently working on a project to build ferries capable of transporting 120 railcars at once, meaning two full trains can be loaded simultaneously. This will ensure seamless transport and significantly cut port processing times, potentially by as much as three times. Overall, this will boost delivery speeds along the entire route," he explained.
According to him, Kazakhstan also plans to expand private sector participation in maritime shipping through a financial leasing program.
"We are now enabling our businesses, by introducing a financial leasing program, to access low-cost financing and invest in acquiring vessels for maritime transport. This means that shipping operations will no longer be limited to just the two national companies, Kazmortransflot and Azerbaijan’s ASCO; private businesses will also be able to handle container shipping. We want to open them access," Tlepov added.
