Infrastructure

Infrastructure

Azerbaijan says more than 200 US and NATO cargo containers go to Afghanistan

05 May 2009 16:25 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Rashad Suleymanov â€“ APA-Economics. More than 200 containers loaded with US and NATO non-military cargo will soon go through Azerbaijan to Afghanistan, said Azerbaijanâ€™s Ministry of Transport.

According to the ministry, containers that will be sent via Poti-Baku-Aktau-Almaty route hold only humanitarian-purpose and non-military cargo.

No military cargo will be shipped via Azerbaijan, said the ministry.

The Government is gearing up for the transit of large quantities of shipments to Afghanistan through the TRACECA corridor. Azerbaijanâ€™s Caspian Shipping Company is due to purchase several ferries to meet the increasing demand.

US and NATO cargo is delivered from Europe to Georgiaâ€™s Black Sea Port of Poti, onto Baku by rail, then to Kazakhstanâ€™s Caspian Port of Aktau by sea and eventually to Afghanistan by rail via Uzbekistan.

Poti-Baku-Aktau container train project was first suggested in 2005. The first container train from Europe reached Georgiaâ€™s Black Sea Port of Poti, onto Baku through an existing railroad, and was taken to Kazakhstanâ€™s Caspian Port of Aktau from Baku by ferry in 2006.
The project was then abandoned through lack of cargo.