Turkmenistan is taking steps to accede to the International Maritime Organisation's (IMO) Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic, local TV station Altyn Asyr reports.
The issue was discussed at a government meeting where the Director General of the Transport and Communications Agency, Mammethan Chakiyev, reported.
According to him, it will help develop international cooperation, simplify maritime and transport procedures in accordance with world standards and improve international trade.
"The country is carrying out activities to modernise the transport infrastructure of the Turkmen sector of the Caspian Sea, expand the maritime fleet and increase cargo traffic at the Turkmenbashi International Sea Port."
Experts told Daryo that Turkmenistan, which has access to the Caspian Sea, is trying to maximise the potential of the region's international transport and transit corridors.
Ashgabat and Tashkent are discussing ways to create favourable conditions for transit cooperation, believing that the Turkmenbashi port could be used as part of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey-Europe transnational route.
The port became operational in 2018. The $1.5bn project was implemented by Gap Inşaat (Turkey).
The total capacity of the port, excluding oil products, is 17mn tonnes of various cargoes per year. Four terminals are located on an area of more than 150 hectares: general cargo, containers, bulk cargo and car ferries.
The new infrastructure has created opportunities to send cargo along the Silk Road from Asia and the Pacific to Europe via ports in Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran.
Eziz Boyarov
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