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.