Azernews.Az

By Aynur Jafarova

Turkish Asia Denizcilik Company and Özata shipyard have transferred a new motor ship to Azerbaijan, Trend reported with reference to Turkish Cihan news agency on August 6.

The passenger motor ship was built at the request of the Azerbaijani side.

The motor ship, called Mirvari, has a maximum capacity of 650 people. It is reported that the ship was constructed this year.

The official ceremony of the ship's transfer took place in the Turkish Yalova city. The ceremony was attended by Turkish MP from the Justice and Development Party (AKP) Temel Joshgun, AKP representative in the province of Yalova Mustafa Pehlivan and the head of Altynova regional administration of Yalova province Metin Oral.

Azerbaijan pays special attention to the shipping sector. Head of the Azerbaijan State Caspian Shipping Company Aydin Bashirov said in a recent interview that since 2002, the company has purchased 10 tankers.

Notably, the company purchased two tankers with deadweight of 8,000 tons, seven tankers with deadweight of 13,000 tons and one tanker with deadweight of 12,000 tons. The company also acquired one cargo ship.

In 2008-2012, the company received six ferries for operation. All the ferries were built in the Uljanik shipyard of Croatia's Pula city, according to Bashirov.

Head of Azerbaijan's state energy company SOCAR Rovnag Abdullayev told journalists on July 10 that SOCAR plans to commission a new shipyard in the Garadagh district of Baku in September 2013.

SOCAR's new shipyard will meet the need for ships not only in Azerbaijan but also in the entire basin of the Caspian Sea. The first ship will be launched in 2013.

The area of the new shipyard will be 880,000 square meters, while the closed production area -- 75,000 square meters and the length of berths 1,300 meters. Investment in the construction of the plant amounts to $450 million.

The plant's production capacity is 25,000 tons of steel per year. It will be capable to produce annually four tankers with deadweight of 15,000 tons or two tankers with deadweight of 70,000 tons. Also, the plant is to produce four maintenance and towing vessels per year as well as provide repair for 80 to 100 vessels.

According to Bashirov, the State Caspian Shipping Company has placed an order for construction of ten ships, in particular, five cargo ships and five tankers at the new shipyard.

Currently the transport fleet of the company includes 82 vessels.