For the first time in Turkmenistan, the Balkan shipyard near the Caspian Sea has started building sea vessels, the Agency of Transport and Communications under the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan reports.
The first dry-cargo vessel is to be put into service with partners 14 months after the start of production, the second in two months and the third in another two months.
Such shipbuilding terms are the most optimal in the region, as it usually takes at least three years for a vessel to be fully commissioned. Batyr Annaev, Deputy Director General of the Agency, said this at the Global Gateway investors' forum in Brussels, Belgium.
Turkmenistan is also planning to start building RO-RO ferries, while the capacity of the national shipyard is designed to build 4 vessels and repair 20 vessels per year.
According to preliminary calculations, an additional 5mn tonnes of container traffic per year between the ports of Turkmenbashi and Baku (Azerbaijan) will require the production of at least 20 more dry-cargo vessels.
The Turkmenbashi International Seaport is located at the crossroads of the Europe-Asia cargo routes and is a vital link for the landlocked countries of Central Asia, providing them with an economically viable trade route.
Its construction cost $1.5bn.The throughput capacity of Turkmenbashi, which has been awarded Green Port certification, is estimated at 17mn tonnes of various types of cargo.
In the near future, Turkmenistan will accede to the Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic, which will make it possible to create a "single window" system in this port.
Eziz Boyarov
Comments (0)