The Turkmendenizderyayollary (Turkmen Sea and River Routes Agency) reports that it is establishing discounts for road transport across the Caspian Sea on the Turkmenbashi port-Baku port route (Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan) from March 2023.

The one-way transportation cost with the discount will be $1,000 and the round-trip transportation cost will be $1,600.

"The newly introduced discounts will provide customers of the merchant fleet with convenient conditions for the carriage of motor vehicles and reduce the cost of transported goods," the report says.

Turkmenistan currently uses two RO-PAX-type ferries, Bagtyyar and Berkarar, each with a capacity of 200 passengers and 54 vehicles for transportation. Last year some 22,000 vehicles were carried on the route.

Reportedly, the annual throughput capacity of the port opened in Turkmenbashi in 2018 is 17-18mn tonnes. Together with the previously old port, this figure reaches 25-26mn tonnes.

Turkmenistan thus has optimal opportunities for shipping cargo arriving along the Silk Road from Asia and the Pacific Ocean, onwards to Europe.

Uzbekistan is also interested in this route. The country's Ministry of Transport has previously reported that transport corridors passing through the port of Turkmenbashi are important for the entire region.

To this end, it was proposed to simplify the requirements and shorten the timeframe for issuing entry visas to Turkmenistan for Uzbek drivers engaged in international cargo transportation.

 Credits: Eziz Boyarov, Ashgabat