Experience exchange between Klaipeda Seaport, Baku Port would be beneficial for both parties: ministry
By Trend
Exchange of experience between Lithuania’s Klaipeda Seaport and Azerbaijan’s Baku Sea Trade Port would be beneficial for both parties, Lithuanian Ministry of Transport and Communications told Trend.
"Exchange of experience and good practices would be beneficial for both parties. Visits by country delegations and presentations of main port activities and innovations are most appropriate, taking into account the fact that the port of Baku has a lot of experience in developing interoperability between the port and railways (especially after start of operation of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line), and Klaipėda State Seaport is implementing a lot of strategic projects related to the port development," said the ministry.
Further, the ministry said that Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line will be very useful to strengthen cooperation between two countries in transport field.
"Lithuania is implementing "Viking Train" project. It is a joint project of Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine railways, stevedoring companies in Klaipeda, Odessa and Chernomorsk seaports, connecting Baltic and Black seas with railways. Additional cargo flows can be attracted by adding Azerbaijan and Georgia to this train route. Therefore, in May 2016 Azerbaijan has signed a protocol about the joining of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC to the "Viking train" project. Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line will be very useful to strengthen cooperation between two countries in transport field," said the ministry.
Klaipeda State Seaport is the northernmost ice–free port on the Eastern coast of the Baltic Sea. It is the most important and biggest Lithuanian transport hub, connecting sea, land and railway routes from East to West.
Klaipeda is a multipurpose, universal, deep-water port, providing high quality services. As many as 14 big stevedoring companies, ship repair and ship building yards operate within the port as well as all types of marine business and cargo handling services.
The annual port cargo handling capacity is up to 65 million tons.
The Port of Baku is the oldest and largest port on the Caspian Sea. For centuries, Port of Baku served as a link between East and West, alongside the ancient Silk Road, as well as North-South transport corridor that connects North Europe and Russia with Middle East and South Asia.
The New Port in Alat is a transportation hub linking the west (Turkey & EU), south (Iran & India) and north (Russia). Situated in the vicinity of the regions of Azerbaijan, it will also increase its connectivity as an efficient hub and so increase the volume of cargo being handled. In addition, new port location is linked to existing highways and railways, connecting the port to the inland regions of the country.
There are three international rail routes into Azerbaijan, which all converge at Alat: 1) to the northwest, passing through Baku to Russia; 2) to the west, passing through Georgia to the shores of the Black Sea and Turkey; 3) to the south and to the border area with Iran.