Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company says a million tons of cargo was sent to the port of Baku from the berth of the Kuryk port of Kazakhstan. A solemn ceremony was held on this occasion.
The general director of the port Mirzabek Sakdaganov announced the awarding of the gratitude to the leadership of the Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company for the provision of professional services.
The captain of the ferry vessel “Akademik Zarifa Aliyeva” Abuzar Hasanov received the award and expressed gratitude to the management and employees of the port of Kuryk for the placed confidence in the Shipping Company. Azerbaijani seafarers promised to continue to make the best of their skills in the implementation of transit cargo transportation through the Caspian Sea.
The port of Kuryk was put into operation in 2016. The port with a total area of 40 hectares has an advantageous geographical position. The depth of the water in the port of Kuryk allows large vessels to moor.
Cargo from the port of Kuryk, which is an important link of the Trans-Caspian international Transport route, is sent through Azerbaijan and Georgia to Europe.
Currently, a new pier is being constructed on the port territory, which will open new opportunities for vessels intended for the transport of automotive equipment (Ro-Ro / Ro-Pax). The works on dredging of the port water area with excavation in the volume of 730 thousand cubic meters have been completed. At this stage of construction, works are being actively carried out to build an automobile pier and lay reinforced concrete blocks.
It should be added that before the Kuryk port was put into operation, transit cargo transportation from Kazakhstan was carried out exclusively through the port of Aktau. The limited transshipment capacity, unfavorable geographical conditions of Aktau port (the port is directly exposed to wind impact) negatively affected its profitability. In this regard, the commissioning of the Kuryk ferry complex is an important event for Azerbaijan. The new complex, in comparison with Aktau, is located at a closer distance from the port of Baku. The time of the ferry from Baku to Kuryk is about 18 hours, whereas the travel time to Aktau port was 22 hours.
It should be noted, that the first vessel, sent from the port of Kuryk, also belonged to Azerbaijan. On December 7, 2016, the “Shahdag” ferry vessel of the Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company was put into operation at the testing phase.