Baku Port records growth in freight transportation

By Azernews

By Nigar Abbasova

The volume of freight transportation via the Baku International Sea Trade Port increased in 2016 by 47 percent as compared to the index of 2015. The figure stood at 4.5 million tons, while transit transportation accounted for some 87 percent of the total volume.

The sharpest growth was recorded in the transshipment of vehicles, in particular, large-capacity transport facilities. The figure increased almost threefold from 8,756 up to 23,415. Some 58.3 percent or 13,791 transport facilities have been transshipped en route Baku-Aktau-Baku, while the rest part (41.7 percent or 9,850 vehicles) fell to a share of Baku-Turkmenbashi-Baku direction.

An increase was also recorded in the number of transshipped standard twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). The figure increased by 28.5 percent as compared to 2015 and stood at 17,100 TEUs.

The volume of transshipped oil and petrochemicals increased by 87.5 percent and amounted to 1.58 million tons.

The transshipment of carriages via the ferry terminal, located in Alat settlement, also increased by 17.4 percent. A total number of carriages amounted to 36,896, with 30.1 percent (11,109) being transshipped on Baku-Aktau-Baku direction and 69.9 percent (25,787) via Baku-Turkmenbashi-Baku route. Passenger traffic on the directions increased twofold and exceeded 20.000.

The first stage of construction of the Port is projected to be completed until late 2017. Till that period the Baku Port is expected to increase its capacity handling some 10-11 million tons of freight and 50,000 TEUs per year. The second stage will provide for the handling of 17 million tons of freight and 150,000 of containers, while the implementation of the final stage is projected to increase the capacity up to 25 million tons of freight and 1 million of containers.