TRACECA: Container freight across Caspian Sea will be tested next year

"In the first quarter of 2022, it is planned to carry out pilot freight under the Global Transit Document in order to verify the passage of container traffic across the Caspian Sea within the TRACECA corridor," National Secretary for Azerbaijan of the Intergovernmental Commission on the Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia (TRACECA) Rufat Bayramov told Report.

Bayramov noted that about 20 documents were adopted within TRACECA this year:

"We plan to implement these initiatives and documents for 2022. First of all, we want to realize pilot container transportation under the Global Transit Document. At present, close consultations are underway with Azerbaijani government agencies. Several countries along the corridor have expressed interest in the issue. Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan have already expressed their positive opinion. Most likely, Azerbaijan will also voice its positive opinion.

"The project includes Central Asia-Romania-Central Asia transportation. First, the pilot freight will be done from Central Asia to Europe, and vice versa. How many containers will be in the first stage is still under discussion. It will depend on companies to participate in the project. We will determine the volume of cargo as soon as we know it. There may be a block train, or 41 containers may be involved in the first shipment. We can provide the exact information as soon as we start the project."

Bayramov said that two routes are planned for the pilot project:

"One of them is the Tajikistan-Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Romania route. Turkmenistan can replace Kazakhstan in the other route. The existence of these two routes is on the agenda. There may be a pilot transportation on one or both routes. We will determine this after discussions. If we can get consent from all countries, we plan to have a pilot transport in the first quarter of next year.

"There are two primary purposes for pilot transportation. One goal is to check the passage of container traffic across the Caspian Sea. We want to practice in which country there are rules and regulations. Second, this project will be used as a component of TRACECA's digitization strategy in general, on which we can implement any system under the principle of a single window."

"It is not yet possible to say precisely which carriers will join the process. Because first of all, a working group must be formed and one representative from each country must participate in that working group. As part of the activities of that working group, the companies to be involved in the project will be determined. A transport company from any country can also take the initiative. It can be a carrier of Azerbaijan or a carrier of Kazakhstan. Even carriers from all countries can participate in one place," Bayramov added.

The European Union's Transport Corridor Europe Caucasus Asia (TRACECA) program was launched at a conference in May 1993 in Brussels with the participation of trade and transport ministers (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan). The conference participants adopted the Brussels Declaration providing for the implementation of the TRACECA technical assistance program.