Azernews.Az

Ulviyya Poladova

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The continued growth of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), commonly known as the Middle Corridor, depends on the coordinated efforts of all participating countries and transport sectors, AzerNEWS reports, citing Sairan Mederov, GR & Compliance Director at TransExpeditions LLC, said at the 2nd Caspian International Forum on Transport, Transit and Logistics in Baku.

Mederov stressed that the success of the corridor should not be viewed solely through the lens of individual countries.

"When we talk about the growth of the Trans-Caspian route, it is not only about the Kazakh or Azerbaijani segments. It is about all participants of the corridor. Either everyone wins, or everyone loses," he said.

While acknowledging the strong growth of freight traffic along the route, Mederov drew attention to what he described as one of the corridor's underutilized resources - road transport operators.

According to him, road carriers play a full and important role in the logistics chain but often receive less attention than other transport sectors.

He noted that the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route Association includes railways, ports and other key stakeholders, yet road transport operators remain underrepresented within the corridor's institutional framework.

Mederov particularly highlighted the importance of project cargo transportation, including the movement of oversized and heavy-lift equipment.

Countries surrounding the Caspian Sea are home to major energy and industrial projects, especially in the oil and gas sector, which frequently require the transportation of large-scale equipment across multiple borders.

According to the expert, companies involved in these operations continue to face a number of practical challenges that affect the efficiency of logistics processes

One of the most significant issues is the system of special permits required for oversized and heavyweight cargo transportation. Since shipments often pass through several countries, operators must obtain separate permits from each jurisdiction along the route.

"As many countries as there are along the route, that many permits have to be obtained," Mederov explained.

He also emphasized that these challenges should not be viewed as complaints but rather as professional observations aimed at identifying bottlenecks and improving the efficiency of the corridor.