Kazakhstan Has Worked Out New Transport Routes to Europe

The alternative pathways were developed to bypass Russia amidst continuing sanctions

By Serik Bolat

Qazaqstan Monitor: Kazakhstan Has Worked Out New Transport Routes to Europe

Minister of Industry and Infrastructure Development Kairbek Uskenbayev announced that alternative delivery routes for export and transit cargo to Europe are being worked out in a government meeting on March 29, Kursiv media reports.

Routes through land and sea

The Ministry has already taken prompt measures to prevent the disruption in the logistic chains of delivering goods by redirecting export cargo to Latvian ports and Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITM).

Within the framework of TIMTM, an agreement was reached with Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey to establish a joint venture on the route similar to the UTLC (United Transport and Logistics Company). The founders of UTLC are equal in shares - 33.3% each - of KTZ, Russian Railways and Belorussian Railways. UTLC organizes regular container transportation from China to the EU.

Cargo will go through the seaports of Aktau/Kuryk, then by feeder and ferry line to the port of Baku (Alyat), along the railroad of Azerbaijan and Georgia to the Georgian ports of Batumi and Poti from where it will reach Europe. Alternatively, it could go through the railroad line Baku - Tbilisi - Kars to the Turkish ports of Istanbul, Mersin before heading to Europe.

The distance from Aktau to Batumi/Poti is about 1,300 km, of which Aktau - Baku - 450 km (by sea), Baku - Batumi/Poti - 850 km (by rail). An alternative railway route bypassing the Caspian Sea will go through Dina Nurpeisova station - Samur station (Dagestan, RF) - Beyuk-Kasik station (Azerbaijan) - Port of Poti/Batumi - 1,792 km.

What else?

As part of this work, it is planned to create a container hub on the basis of SEZ "Morport Aktau". Negotiations have already been conducted with the Singapore company PSA International on their participation in the implementation of the project. It is also expected to attract the container fleet of global container operators, such as Maersk, MSC and Cosco Shipping.

It is planned to add four ferries to the merchant fleet with the involvement of private businesses. This year, the transportation volumes through the seaports of Aktau and Kuryk are planned to reach 10 million tons with consideration of reorientation of about 4 million tons of export cargoes.

It's worth mentioning that on March 22, as a result of a strong storm the outriggers at the sea terminal near Novorossiysk were damaged. As a result, there was a threat of a threefold reduction of oil export through the CPC. There is a possibility of a reduction of supplies by 1 million barrels per day.

It was also reported that the Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan is working on alternative routes for oil exports.

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