Overview of the port infrastructure of the Caspian Sea and the port of Olya. Russian ports in the Caspian are still in crisis

Today, with the participation of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, a new international seaport was solemnly put into operation on the Turkmen coast of the Caspian Sea, the State News Agency of Turkmenistan reports.

A large-scale infrastructure project, without exaggeration, is of strategic importance for all countries of the Central Asian region and the Caspian Basin, since its implementation contributes to their active integration into the international system economic ties, enhancing the role of Turkmenistan as an important center of transit communications.

The new sea gates of Turkmenistan are designed not only to meet the growing needs of our country in maritime communications, but also to open up new opportunities for intensifying cargo transportation throughout the Eurasian space.

"The new seaport is designed to become an important link in the formation of a modern system of maritime transportation, creating the most favorable conditions for access to the Black Sea, to the countries of Europe, the Middle East, South Asia and the Asia-Pacific region," he said, speaking at the international transport high-level conference President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.

The head of Turkmenistan also said that the new coastal infrastructure in the Caspian "will significantly reduce the distance and travel time for large-scale cargo flows, bringing economic and trade cooperation between the countries of Asia and Europe to a qualitatively new level."

At a ceremony in the city of Turkmenbashi, the new seaport of Turkmenistan was awarded the Guinness Book of Records certificate as "the largest port below sea level."

The project worth 1.5 billion US dollars was implemented by the Turkish company Gap Inshat in five years.

The new International Seaport combines ferry, passenger and cargo terminals. In addition, there are shipbuilding and ship repair plants. The total length of the berths, which can simultaneously serve 17 ships, is more than 1800 meters.

The total capacity of the new port is 17 million tons of cargo, excluding oil products.

... Even on the way to the new port, festive celebrations in the national spirit unfolded: yurts were installed, folklore ensembles, samples of folk arts and crafts, original rites and rituals were demonstrated. Craftsmen worked in impromptu workshops, skillful chefs and culinary experts prepared treats near smoking cauldrons and stoves.

The atmosphere of high emotional uplift also reigned at the venue of the celebration, where Head of State Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov arrived.

Near the symbolic arch, the President cuts the festive ribbon, opening the International Seaport.

President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov walked along the pier, inspecting the buildings and structures dressed in white marble, engineering and technical facilities of the port, and everywhere the Turkmen leader was greeted with songs and dances, colorful performances.

Against the backdrop of the mountains on one side, the port looks like an elegant and respectable town, sparkling with tinted glass and golden trim, with original architecture. From the sea, an industrial landscape opens up with powerful cantilever structures of port cranes against the blue sky.

The total area of ​​the port is more than 1 million 358.5 thousand square meters. To ensure the approach of ships to the berth, a colossal work was carried out to excavate about 10 million cubic meters of soil and deepen the seabed.

The total length of the pier, 20 meters wide, is 3,600 meters, which allows several cargo and passenger ships to arrive, depart and be serviced at the port at the same time.

On one of the platforms on the pier, on both sides of the impromptu amphitheater, where the consolidated ensemble of dutarists performed, a big exhibition. One part is dedicated to folk arts and crafts Turkmen, traditions national culture and life, and the other - the modern industry of the country, including the export component. Here one could see textile industry goods, products of oil and gas, chemical complexes, processing industries in the entire breadth of the assortment. For example, a variety of products made from domestic polypropylene, which today finds application in various areas of the Turkmen industry: from household equipment to carpet weaving.

Equipped with last word technology, the seaport of the city of Turkmenbashi creates the most favorable conditions for the entry of European countries to the commodity and raw materials markets of the Near and Middle East and to the states of the basin indian ocean, allowing you to significantly reduce the distance and travel time for large-scale cargo flows.

Having examined the exposition, which was accompanied by performances by masters of art, the head of state proceeded to the building for a solemn ceremony, where a multimedia show was presented to the attention of the President of Turkmenistan and all participants. The basis literary plot film, demonstrated on a panoramic screen using special effects and laser technology, laid down the book of the head of state "Turkmenistan - the heart of the Great Silk Road".

Spectators saw the picturesque landscapes of Turkmen nature, its diverse landscapes, through which the historical route once ran, - the endless expanses of the desert, mountains, fertile valleys and the sea coast.

The film also briefly describes the main directions of development of the transport system of our country, building up its transit potential and forming a network of international transport corridors. A video sequence was shown on the features of the seaport of the city of Turkmenbashi, the work of all terminals of the port, which is intended to become a determining factor for the development of not only the country's transport system, but also the entire national economy, was clearly presented.

As part of the International Seaport in Turkmenbashi, a ferry, passenger and container terminals, as well as a shipbuilding and ship repair plant have been built. In addition to the construction of berthing hydraulic structures, numerous coastal infrastructure facilities have been erected here, including transport support: roads with overpass interchanges with a total length of more than 3.9 thousand meters and railway lines - about 30 thousand meters.

As for the technical "stuffing" of the new seaport, it is equipped with the most modern software and hardware systems necessary to ensure the safety and efficiency of navigation and cargo transportation, as well as environmental protection, to which Head of State Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov attaches special importance. Control over the movement of ships in the port water area, loading and unloading operations in all areas are controlled using automated systems and electronic technology in real time.

Upon completion of the film, the President went to the shipbuilding and ship repair plant "Balkan". This fundamentally new production in the national economic complex of the country lays the foundation for the emergence of domestic shipbuilding. In addition to the assembly of ships, a full cycle of work on the repair of tankers, bulk carriers, tugs, etc. will be carried out here.

The plant, whose capacity allows processing 10 thousand tons of steel per year, is designed to build 4-6 ships during this time, using modern technologies and automated systems that meet international standards. In addition, this production facility is capable of servicing and repairing 20-30 ships, including the processing of 2,000 tons of steel per year.

The shipyard has a ship handling system with a lifting capacity of 10,000 tons, a port wheel crane with a lifting capacity of 80 tons, rail cranes with a lifting capacity of 40, 60 and 80 tons. Shipbuilding is a highly technical and complex process. It involves a mix of many skilled trades and workers. In general, 1,160 jobs have been created at the Balkan plant, which occupies an area of ​​166,000 square meters.

The head of state is asked to start the construction of a new ship.

The President presses a special button, at this moment the process of cutting the metal sheet starts. And on the monitors broadcasting the event in real time, you can watch how the terminals for containers, bulk cargo and the general loading terminal open one by one.

Upon completion of the operation of cutting the steel sheet and shaping it according to the design configuration, the operator asks the head of state to leave a commemorative signature on the prepared part of the future vessel.

The President of Turkmenistan puts his signature on an electronic screen, and special laser equipment applies an image of a stroke to a prepared sheet of metal, which is shown on the screens.

From here, the head of state went to the passenger terminal.

Along the way, the head of state inspected the container terminal, bulk cargo and general loading terminals. The specialists accompanying the head of state spoke about the possibilities of the International Seaport in receiving, processing, storing and sending various cargoes.

The container terminal with an average annual capacity of 400,000 TEU covers an area of ​​249,000 square meters. This strategic facility will bring Turkmenistan to a leading position in the export-import logistics system of the region. The multimodal logopark will provide a range of services for the storage and combined handling of containerized cargo delivered by air, road and rail, ensuring their transshipment to and from water transport.

The length of the container terminal berth is 480 meters, which allows loading and unloading operations simultaneously on several vessels with a total carrying capacity of 5 thousand tons.

The port has the latest equipment and special handling equipment for cargo handling. For example, ship-to-shore (STS) berthing reloaders with a capacity of 25 TEU per hour operate in the container terminal. That is, each such crane can unload one ship with 300 containers in 12 hours.

The main distribution center (CFS - Container Freight Station) is being built in the terminal, which functions include grouping cargo by destination, with a throughput of 50 TEU per day.

The container terminal, which is equipped with a satellite control system with the display of all current information on the monitors of operators, is designed in accordance with the CTQI (Container Terminal Quality Indicator) standard. Over the past few years, there has been a rapid growth in the turnover of containers around the world, which, naturally, has affected the increase in the number of container terminals. The introduction of CTQI made it possible to create a unified quality control system in this type of service.

The Bulk Cargo Terminal is designed for transshipment of various raw materials, petrochemical products, clinker, iron ore, bauxite, aluminum, coal, feed, fertilizers, as well as grain, sugar, salt, etc., for the storage of which warehouses and bunkers are built.

One of the largest facilities is the general cargo terminal. Its capacity is on average 4 million tons of cargo per year. It is designed to receive and send various building materials, iron, steel, wood, machinery, equipment, etc. At the quay wall of this terminal, several vessels with a carrying capacity of 5,000 tons can be handled simultaneously. Powerful rail and mobile port cranes are designed for loading and unloading.

As for the specialized terminal for the storage and shipment of polypropylene, this product occupies one of the leading places in the list of oil products produced by the Turkmenbashi complex of oil refineries. It is in extremely high demand in the world markets, which, in particular, is evidenced by numerous contracts that are concluded at the State Commodity and Raw Materials Exchange of Turkmenistan. The geography of consumers of Turkmen polypropylene is very extensive: Japan, Russia, Turkey, Iran, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and other countries. A significant part of the export goods "leaves" by sea.

The issues of long-term development of the infrastructure of the main sea gates of the country and the domestic fleet are clearly coordinated, interconnected with the plans of the oil and gas, industrial complexes, railway transport and other sectors of the economy, the administration of the seaside city, in a word - all entities operating in the Caspian region.

The new port will give an additional powerful impetus to the economic progress of Turkmenistan, the development of industrial and transport infrastructure, the creation of new jobs, and will also help attract large investments. Great prospects are also opening up in terms of developing the Avaza National Tourist Zone, increasing the flow of people coming to our country for sea holidays from other states.

It is noteworthy that in order to preserve the ecology of the Caspian Sea, bio-cleaning equipment has been installed in each terminal. In general, the entire project is designed in accordance with the international Green Port standard. It is noteworthy that the soil extracted during the construction of a new sea harbor was used to create an artificial island in the waters of the sea bay near the city of Turkmenbashi. This 170-hectare island has become a habitat, nesting and wintering ground for flamingos, swans, geese, ducks, herons, pelicans and other bird species.

In parallel with the construction of the port, big job for the training of its personnel and training of operators, specialized specialists both in Turkmenistan and abroad.

The President goes to the building of the passenger terminal, where an exhibition dedicated to the transport and communications sector was opened that day. The exposition in the format of video stands represents various international organizations, as well as specialized structures of the Central Asian and Caspian states.

The general idea of ​​these video presentations is that the diversification of traffic flows, the inclusion of a large number of states and large regions in the geography of routes will really contribute to the further development of interstate relations, mutual understanding and rapprochement of countries and peoples.

Obviously, with the commissioning of the seaport in Turkmenbashi, the use of the capabilities of large international and regional organizations in the development of multi-vector and multilateral cooperation will significantly expand.

President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov carefully got acquainted with the arrangement of the passenger terminal, the conditions created for travelers and staff.

The building of the passenger terminal is designed for 600 seats. On modern level a system of migration and passport control and other necessary procedures has been created here. A port hotel, shopping and entertainment centers are also envisaged.

In general, the car and passenger ferry terminal occupies a total area of ​​230,000 square meters; two ships can moor simultaneously to its berth. It will be able to serve 300,000 passengers and 75,000 trailers a year.

Undoubtedly, the new port will contribute to the growth of tourist flows to the Turkmen resort of Avaza, primarily from neighboring Caspian states. Here, vacationers will be met by fashionable hotels and cozy cottage complexes with high-quality service, as well as ultra-modern sports facilities and development of leisure infrastructure.

Before leaving the building of the passenger terminal, the head of state left a note in the Book of Honored Guests.

Expressing confidence that the new port will give an additional powerful impetus to the economic progress of Turkmenistan, the development of the industrial and transport infrastructure of the region, the creation of new jobs, and will also help attract large investments, the head of state wished everyone great success in their work and left the scene.

Having completed his working trip to the Balkan velayat, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov left the International Airport of Turkmenbashi for Ashgabat.

One of the main factors giving the Caspian Sea an important geopolitical significance is its transit and transport potential. The region is located at the intersection of a number of existing and prospective transport corridors linking China, Central Asia and individual states of the Middle East with European countries. Under these conditions, all the Caspian countries, with the support of non-regional states (USA, EU countries, Turkey, China), are actively developing their port infrastructure, transit transport corridors, and the merchant marine fleet in the Caspian Sea. With this in mind, the protracted crisis in the transport sector of the economy of the Caspian regions of the Russian Federation cannot but cause concern, which, despite the measures taken, continues to stagnate.

Thus, another batch of negative statistics on Russian ports in the Caspian Sea has been published by the Association of Russian Sea Trade Ports. Information Agency The Russian Railways partner, citing data from the Association, reports that the cargo turnover of the ports of the Caspian Basin of the Russian Federation in January-July 2017 fell by 38.1% compared to the same period last year, to 2 million tons. Liquid cargoes continue to leave the harbor: volume transshipment decreased by 3 times, to 567.3 thousand tons.

The main reason is the problem with the quality of oil passing through the port. As a result, over the past few years, most suppliers have consistently refused to cooperate with Caspian stevedores. As a result, the structure of the cargo turnover of Russian ports in the Caspian basin has changed dramatically: if earlier it was cash cargo, now most of the transshipment (72%) falls on dry cargo. But their volume continues to decline, but at a much slower pace. Thus, according to the results of 7 months of 2017, the volume of transshipment decreased by 8.1%, to 1.5 million tons.

The only positive moment can be considered an increase in container turnover by 18.4% compared to the same period last year, the volume of which amounted to 1.5 thousand TEU. At the same time, both the volume of exports and the volume of imported cargoes passing through the ports of the Caspian are growing. Thus, since the beginning of the year, exports amounted to 0.7 thousand TEU, which is 21.8% more than in the same period last year, imports - 0.6 thousand TEU (+12.4%). There is no transit traffic yet.

Thus, if the decline in the cargo turnover of Russian ports continues, in the medium term, Russia will be faced with the fact of creating a developed transport infrastructure in the Caspian Sea, bypassing its ports on the Caspian Sea. At the same time, there is no doubt that this provision will significantly weaken the geo-economic and geopolitical positions of Russia in the region.

The Caspian Sea is gradually turning into a territory for the transit of hydrocarbons. Although it is, of course, still far from the fraternal Black Sea in terms of traffic volumes (they were once a single large ocean in ancient times), the process, as they say, has begun. And there are several objective reasons for this. Firstly, coastal states are still legally locked up within the inland water body: either lakes or seas, and do not have access to the world hydrocarbon markets. What, however, is closely linked to the second reason is the unresolved legal status of the sea-lake.

Then, a closed reservoir is the most vulnerable in environmental terms, so pipelines are contraindicated for it. The tanker fleet remains, but it is not a panacea either, since the Caspian remains a shallow sea, and you can’t really go wild on it with deadweights, and you shouldn’t forget about the environment. In addition, special port facilities are required for tanker transportation, and the existing or planned pipelines-exits to European and Asian ones should be taken care of. And finally, we need optimal volumes of transportation of raw materials that can recoup the costs of extraction and transportation.

What destinations can I choose for a tanker course? They can be found in the documents on the country's transport strategy under the Program for the Development of Maritime Transport for 2006-2012, developed by the Republic of Kazakhstan, as the state is the most open in its geopolitical plans for diversifying hydrocarbon supplies to foreign markets, when compared with the same Turkmenistan. The documents provide for two types of export deliveries via water routes - tankers and ferry crossing of railway tanks. It should be recalled that pipelines are still considered only from the standpoint of continuing the transit of raw materials, but not in the Caspian.

Experts name several directions for the transportation of hydrocarbons in the Caspian Sea. The first is Iranian. It includes direct communication with the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI), where they are going to build a main oil pipeline from the Caspian port of Neka to the port of Jask on the coast of the Gulf of Oman. They are going to pump million barrels per day. In addition, the project provides for the construction of an oil refinery and two plants for the production of bitumen and industrial oils in the Chabahar free economic zone. While looking for investors for the project.

There is already a ferry connection with Iran Aktau - Baku - Nowshahr. From the point of view of the transit of oil and oil products through Iran, it should be taken into account that only automobile (cheap fuel) and pipeline transport is sufficiently developed in the country, there are almost no railways, and a tanker fleet is slowly being formed in the Caspian. There is a UN embargo, it also applies to barter, which was carried out by the CIS countries to Iran, the scheme is simple, Kazakhstan or Turkmenistan, raw materials sold to Armenia or Turkey, are brought to the Caspian port of Iran, and that, in turn, forwards the nearest Iranian oil to the customer.

The second direction is Russia. Direct water communication with the port of Makhachkala. Further, the Russian Railways infrastructure, pipelines to the Black Sea or along the Volga-Don canal to the Azov basin. There is also a northern option along the Volga-Baltic Canal with access to the Baltic Sea. In addition, the Russian river direction is characterized by limited navigation in the autumn-winter period. The third, Black Sea-Mediterranean direction involves mixed transit Aktau - sea - Baku - pipeline - Batumi - sea - Europe. In addition, it is possible to diversify supplies in Baku, for example, send oil to Novorossiysk or drive it into the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan main oil pipeline. Turkmenistan has the same opportunities, but from the port of Turkmenbashi.

It should be noted that a tanker with a deadweight of 12-14 thousand tons, plying in the Caspian Sea (between Aktau and Baku), is capable of transporting 1 million tons of oil per year. Today, mainly tankers with a deadweight of 3-5 thousand tons go by sea. The ports of the Caspian Sea are shallow, so Aktau (Kazakhstan), Neka (Iran), Turkmenbashi (Turkmenistan) have a depth of less than 10 m, Baku (Azerbaijan) - 12 m. At the same time, only five-thousander tankers are capable of entering the above-mentioned ports, as well as passing through the Volga-Don and Volga-Baltic canals. Travel time from Kazakh Aktau to Iranian Nek is 7 days, from Turkmenbashi to Nek - 5 days. Moreover, the Caspian is not always calm.

Kazakhstan Given the diversification of supplies, Kazakhstan had to turn from a steppe power into a maritime power and begin to form a navy and merchant fleet. Thus, the Joint Stock Company "National Maritime Shipping Company "Kazmortransflot" (NMSC "Kazmortransflot" JSC) was established on December 4, 1998. It includes: Kazmortransflot Ltd, Mangistau Oblast Shipyard LLP, Kazmortransflot UK Ltd, Altai Shipping Ltd and Alatau Shipping Ltd. The number of subsidiaries was affected by the geographical location of the ships, for example, the port of Batumi on the Black Sea, or the port of Aktau on the Caspian Sea, etc., their purpose is a tanker, or a Kazmunaigas barge site, or a gas carrier, or a dry cargo ship, etc. ., deadweight - 13 thousand tons is optimal for shallow water off the coast of the Caspian Sea. In addition, environmentalists also point to such a carrying capacity as the safest. In total in the current year total will reach 20 tankers and 5 bulk carriers, as well as 150 offshore support vessels.

The improvement of the tanker fleet will go towards increasing the tonnage of ships, the most optimal is 60 thousand tons. From an environmental point of view, tankers will be equipped with a double hull, in addition, they will install several chambers for transporting various hydrocarbon cargoes. Such a ship is difficult to deliver to the Caspian, so we can talk about building a shipyard in the coastal zone. Another direction should be the development of port infrastructure and the creation of a deep-water port, according to the country's leadership, it will be the port of Kuryk, located in the east of the Caspian Sea in the Mangystau region, with an oil terminal (20 million tons per year), a shipyard, a machine-building technopark, a base for supporting marine operations and rescue center. The port will be provided with appropriate engineering and road infrastructure.

We add that the second main port of the country, Aktau, is located in the Eastern part of the Caspian Sea and is intended for international transportation of various dry cargoes, crude oil and oil products. In 1999, it was reconstructed and today it is capable of carrying out loading and reloading operations in the amount of 1.5 million tons per year, transshipment of oil in the amount of 8 million tons per year.

There is also a private tanker company, Mobilex Energy Ltd. It controls one of the terminals in the port of Aktau and owns several tankers.

Turkmenistan The Republic of Turkmenistan does not lag behind other countries of the region in the creation of a tanker fleet. In addition to the old vessels and a tanker (5 thousand tons) made in Turkey, 2 river-sea tankers were recently built in Russia for the transportation of 6 types of oil products with a deadweight of 7 thousand tons. Today, the construction of several more tankers continues.

The port of Turkmenbashi was built at the end of the 19th century. Since then, it has been constantly evolving. Today it has a ferry berth, from where liquefied gases are transported by ferry to Makhachkala (RF). There is also a berth for transshipment of dry cargo and an oil berth for transshipment in the amount of about 12 million tons per year. In addition, there are several port oil loading points in the country, mainly near the existing hydrocarbon deposits.

Russia Russian private companies are also active in the Caspian. Among them: Safinat Logical Investment Group, Palmali Shipping Shipping Company, Volgotanker, and, in the future, Moscow River Shipping Company (MRP).

Safinat Group owns 6 tankers and one gas carrier. It also owns an LPG processing terminal in the port of Temryuk. The shipping company Palmali Shipping has 25 tankers of various capacities. They are widely used by LUKOIL for other transportation as well. Volgotanker is currently the largest owner of river-sea tankers with a displacement of 5,000 tons. Its fleet includes more than 300 oil tankers. It transports oil and oil products from the ports of Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan to Makhachkala (RF). The active construction of tankers is carried out by the Moscow River Shipping Company (MRP), which placed an order with one of the shipbuilding enterprises of the Russian Federation.

The main Russian ports in the Caspian are Astrakhan, Makhachkala and Olya. The main oil transshipment port is Makhachkala. It has its own oil harbor, where tankers with a deadweight of 10 thousand tons and a draft of up to 10 m can enter. An oil depot connected to the Novorossiysk main oil pipeline is located on its territory. Through the non-freezing port of Makhachkala, industrial transportation of oil to the Iranian port of Neka is planned. The capacity of two oil piers is 7 million tons of oil per year. The ferry service between Makhachkala and Turkmenbashi for the transportation of liquefied gases in railway tanks, organized in 2006, is widely developed.

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan has the largest seaport in the Caspian Sea and the largest tanker fleet, in addition, it has 7 ferries capable of taking on board 28 tanks. He inherited part of the courts from Soviet Union. Until recently, the Azerbaijani state-owned Caspian Shipping Company "Kaspar" remained practically a monopoly in the transportation of bulk oil cargo in the Caspian Sea. Therefore, the country's leadership was engaged in the constant renewal of the fleet. Kaspar has fifty tankers with a deadweight of 6,000 to 13,000 tons.

Recently, the country's leadership announced plans to build a shipbuilding plant for the production of tankers of the Caspian Max type with a carrying capacity of 60-70 thousand tons for the delivery of oil from Tengiz and Kashagan (Kazakhstan) with subsequent loading into the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline. They will run between Aktau (Kuryk) - Baku, Aktau (Kuryk) - Turkmenbashi - Makhachkala. In addition, the country plans to develop a fleet of tankers on the Black Sea for its own needs. At the same time, fierce competition in shipbuilding, for example, the presence of shipbuilding plants in the Russian Federation, is not taken into account at all. Earlier, Azerbaijan built its new tankers at the Krasnoye Sormovo plant in Nizhny Novgorod. As well as the competition of maritime transport. In addition to 4 state flotillas, the ships of Russian private carriers sail in the Caspian Sea. Meanwhile, some of the Kaspar tankers are laid up without loading.

As for the port infrastructure of the port of Baku, it includes: the Dubendy terminal with a design capacity of 12 million tons, the Sangachal terminal - 34 million tons (serves the BTC pipeline) - all of them are still partially loaded.

Iran Iran's main hydrocarbon deposits are located either on the border with Iraq or in the Persian Gulf, so the country is trying to use oil supplies from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to supply the northern provinces. Returning the received volumes in the Persian Gulf, earlier it was mentioned about the fleet of Kazakhstan outside the Caspian Sea. Every day, 1 million barrels of oil are pumped from south to north.

In addition, the country decided to enter into competition for oil transportation in the Caspian Sea in 2003, when the first tanker was built and launched. The Caspian Sea should not be confused with the tanker fleet in the Red Sea. There are more than fifty of them, there are also gas carriers. To solve the problem of shallow water, a remote deep-water terminal several kilometers long was built in the port of Neka with an oil pipeline to the coast.

Finally If we try to calculate the current results in terms of total hydrocarbon production and make a forecast for the future, we can conclude that there is no need to increase tanker traffic and, accordingly, the tanker fleet. Everything found a consumer without increasing traffic. Thus, last year Azerbaijan produced 46 million tons of oil and 16.5 billion cubic meters. m of natural gas. The actual decline in production was 10% and 6%, respectively, compared to the previous year. In the future, only exploration at the second stage of Shah Deniz, the Absheron, Umid, Shafag and Asiman fields.

In Kazakhstan, production amounted to 80 million tons of oil and 39 billion cubic meters. m of gas. Increased compared to last year. Good news came from the Kashagan field (1.5 billion tons of oil and 1 billion cubic meters of gas). 21 production wells are ready for operation there. This means that the fountain may clog at the end of this year. Turkmenistan produced only about 50 billion cubic meters last year. m of gas per year. The republic is growing only by its own forecasts. To date, 12 billion tons of oil and 6.5 trillion cubic meters of gas are forecast. Although the Malaysian company Petronas has put into operation a gas processing plant and a terminal for receiving raw materials, designed to receive and process 5 billion cubic meters. m of natural gas with an output of 10 billion cubic meters. m.

The waiting process can take several years. Meanwhile, Iran announced the discovery of a gas field in the southern Caspian, whose reserves are estimated at 1.5 trillion cubic meters. m. Another territorial dispute and conflict of interest.

Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, who rarely speaks about the significance of any project, said the new port would be an important maritime link for trade between Europe and Asia.

YES AND NO

The new port is arguably important for Turkmenistan as it represents a much-needed new trade route for the country. But it is likely to be limited mainly to Turkmenistan's exports and imports, as there is competition on the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea.

For many years, Turkmenistan has acted as a trading crossroads for Eurasia. It may be geographically correct, but Ashgabat's isolationist policies have turned the country into a black hole of intercontinental trade routes.

For more than a quarter of a century of independence, Turkmenistan has not come much closer to outside world than when it was a Soviet republic. For years, Ashgabat has relied on revenue from natural gas exports. Because the gas was pipelined, it was easy for the Turkmen government to close its borders and isolate the country.

The fall in world gas and oil prices from record highs set half a decade ago has had a negative impact on the economy of Turkmenistan. The Asian Development Bank reported in September 2016 that "Turkmenistan's economy is heavily dependent on oil and gas, which account for over 85 percent of the country's exports."

The problem is that about 88 percent of Turkmenistan's territory is desert and the country produces little for export. But Turkmenistan is working to find new opportunities to sell gas and oil.

Diesel fuel and gasoline, which should be produced from liquefied gas at the second plant located in Ovadan-Depe (including the site of the most famous prison in Turkmenistan), as well as polyethylene, polypropylene, sulfuric and nitric acid, ammonia and other products of chemical industries and of the country's two refineries can be shipped in containers by rail and/or tankers.

The new port also includes a shipbuilding and repair yard. Turkmenistan is buying at least nine tankers from Russia's Krasnoye Sormovo shipyard, each of which is reportedly capable of simultaneously carrying six types of oil products. Some of Turkmenistan's tankers deliver oil to the Russian Caspian port in Makhachkala; but other Turkmen tankers deliver oil to Baku, where it is pumped into the Baku-Makhachkala-Novorossiysk and Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipelines.

Tankers of the enterprise "Krasnoe Sormovo" with a carrying capacity of 7100 tons, but in the new port of Turkmenistan it is planned eventually after reaching full power receive about 25 million tons per year.

COMPETITION WITH KAZAKHSTAN PORTS

The port of Turkmenbashi will probably never reach its declared capacity due to the ports of Aktau and Kuryk in Kazakhstan. The third of Kazakhstan's three new terminals at the port of Aktau began operating in 2014 and increased throughput up to 19 million tons per year. (This news came from Aktau recently, when the government of Kazakhstan offered the United States to send supplies for Afghanistan through Aktau.)

Kazakhstan has also invested money in the new port of Kuryk, about 60 kilometers south of Aktau. The port of Kuryk, intended mainly for the transportation of oil from Kazakhstan's Kashagan field, plans to receive about seven million tons of cargo by 2020. And Kazakhstan is building new rail lines, including those that lead to China.

In addition to exporting their own goods and importing goods needed domestically, ports in Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan compete for the transit of goods from China and other countries. East Asia included in the overall project of the global trade network "One Belt - One Road", initiated by Beijing.

The difference is that Kazakhstan borders China, and Kazakhstan clearly sees its ports as playing a key role in transporting goods between China and Europe. Turbek Spanov, deputy head of the department of passenger transport and highways in the Mangistau region, said in October 2017 that the port of Kuryk will become “an important link in the Trans-Caspian international transport route.” Spanov called Kuryk one of the promising transport corridors in Eurasia, which runs from China through the territory of Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, through Azerbaijan and Georgia, with subsequent access to European countries.

The railway Kazakhstan - Turkmenistan - Iran, launched at the end of 2014, provides for the transportation of about 15 million tons of cargo per year by 2022.

Chinese goods bound for the West can currently be transported by rail in Russia or Kazakhstan (there is a project for a rail line from western China to Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan).

To reach the Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran railway, trains from China must turn south along the Kazakhstan railway network. The station on the railway route Kazakhstan - Turkmenistan - Iran in Kazakhstan is Uzen, which is located about 90 kilometers east of Kuryk. This means that goods from East Asia transported by rail to the East Caspian ports must pass through Aktau and Kuryk before they reach the beginning of the rail line to Turkmenistan and Iran.

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CASPIAN

There is another part of the Caspian transit corridor that needs to be considered - a new port in Azerbaijan, not far from Baku. The Baku International Sea Trade Port (Alat Terminal) replaces the old port in Baku. In 2017 the volume freight traffic increased by about 31 percent and amounted to about 4.4 million tons.

The first phase of the Alat port should be completed this year and will reach a capacity of approximately 15 million tons per year. When the second stage is completed, the port should be able to handle about 25 million tons of cargo.

From Baku, most of the cargo went by rail through the Caucasus to Turkey and the Black Sea. It is not surprising that when the new Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway was opened at the end of October 2017, the prime ministers of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, as well as a delegation from Turkmenistan, attended the opening ceremony. This railway line, when it reaches its maximum capacity, is planned to transport about 17 million tons of cargo annually.

There are other railways leading to the Black Sea coast of Georgia. There are four ports on the Black Sea coast of Georgia, two of which specialize in liquid cargo. One is in Batumi. It is managed by the Kazakh state company KazTransOil. There is a port in Kulevi, which is operated by the State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOCAR). So even here Turkmenistan is in an unfavorable position in relation to its Caspian neighbors.

There is another point in connection with the railway lines and the new seaport of Turkmenistan. President Berdymukhammedov has offered Uzbekistan the use of port facilities, but last year officials from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, including heads of state-run railway companies, met several times to discuss the delivery of Uzbek goods via Aktau and Kuryk.

The new port of Turkmenbashi is beneficial for Turkmenistan, although it may take time before it pays off the $1.5 billion spent on its construction. But in the end he risks joining such unprofitable investment projects as the Tejen-Serakhs-Mashhad railway, once touted as the "crossroads of the planet", and a new $2.5 billion international airport in Ashgabat.

The Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Turkmen and Uzbek editions of Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty participated in the preparation of the article. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the position of RFE/RL. Translated from English by Anna Klevtsova.

On the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea there is a significant object for the whole republic - the Aktau seaport. It is an important transport gateway in the country's cargo transportation industry. The seaport is increasing its efficiency every year, maintaining its leading position in the Caspian Sea.

The Great Silk Road has become history, but its root cause - the favorable geographical location of Kazakhstan - still allows the republic to provide transport corridors from North to South and from West to East, linking regions for development international trade. The port of Aktau is the most important junction of the Europe-Asia transport corridors (water passage: through the Caspian and Black Seas, the Volga, the Volga-Don and the White Sea-Baltic Canal), as well as the TRACECA project route (runs through the ports of Aktau - Baku (Azerbaijan) - Poti ( Georgia)).

(TRACECA (TRACECA - Transport Corridor Europe Caucasus Asia) is a project of the Eurasian transport corridor West - East: from Europe through the Black Sea, the Caucasus and the Caspian Sea with access to Central Asia, which received the support of international organizations, including the European Union. Countries - project participants: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Bulgaria, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Romania, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Ukraine).

Aktau port is a unique facility for the economy of the whole country (a key one for the Mangistau region), it is the only seaport in Kazakhstan designed for international transportation of oil and oil products, various dry cargoes for export. The list of services provided by the port today includes towing of ships, registration of the arrival and departure of the vessel, transport-forwarding and warehouse operations with cargo, services for chartering ships, etc.

In January-May 2014, 744 sea vessels entered the port (against 692 last year).

Company history

The construction of the port began in 1963 with the main and auxiliary breakwaters. By 1986, a ferry complex and four oil berths had been established. The appearance of the port made possible the deployment of large-scale projects, the port's activities played a significant role in the construction Aktau city, BN-350 nuclear power plant, chemical industry plants.

The port immediately began to work for the benefit of the then Soviet Union - products of the uranium industry and oil fields of the Mangyshlak region were transported through this sea hub. Most of the transportation during the USSR accounted for oil. After the collapse of the Union, there was a period of stagnation, but since 1995, the volume of transportation through the port began to steadily increase due to the export of Kazakhstani metal and the activities of Tengizchevroil, which increased the volume of sea transportation of oil. In 1996, by a government decree, the port was included in the list of republican state enterprises.

Cargo transportation

The railway ferry service of the Aktau port is a modern, appropriately automated transport system. Today, among combined transportations, the “land-water-land” option successfully proves its effectiveness and preference. In maritime transport, ferry ships act as "floating bridges" on the world's transport routes cut by water barriers. Sea transportation has a number of obvious advantages. No mode of transport, whether land, air or road, is capable of transporting at one time the amount of cargo comparable to the scale of sea transportation, in addition, there are practically no dimensional restrictions and the force majeure factor is reduced - the maritime transport area is known for the lowest share disasters and accidents.

The total volume of cargo transported in the Caspian Sea (by water) per currently is about 30 million tons. The share of the Aktau seaport in it is about 29%. Behind last years the increase in port transshipment volumes more than tripled; for 5 months of the current year - more than 500,000 tons. Thus, in January-May 2014, the port handled 4 million 669 tons of oil and general cargo, which is 512 tons more than in the same period last year. According to the results of the full last year, the volume of transportation through the seaport amounted to 10 million tons of cargo, which exceeded the planned one by 300,000 tons.

The throughput capacity of the railway ferry crossing of the port, from where most cargo goes along the Aktau-Baku route, is more than 20,000 wagons per year, loaded with liquefied gas, crude oil, general cargo, building materials, food products, consumer goods, etc. Large-scale ferry traffic through the port is facilitated by the developed connection of the transport infrastructure of the port with the railway lines. With the development of the TRACECA international transport corridor, the volume of transit cargo is growing steadily, according to the results of 5 months compared to last year, an increase of 356 thousand tons was recorded - 797 thousand tons of the current year against 441 thousand tons of the past. The introduction of automated system management, which can significantly increase the throughput of the ferry terminal.

prospects

Today RSE "Aktau International Sea Trade Port" is a modern multi-purpose terminal that has everything necessary for current activities and further development technological possibilities.

This year, the port's activity promises to expand due to the modernization of the enterprise - in 2013, dredging work was started, the feasibility study was completed on the project for the construction of three dry cargo terminals, two with a capacity of 1.5 million tons, the third - 1 million tons. Completion of their construction (2014) will increase the throughput of the port from 16.5 million to 19 million tons.

In addition, the first dry-cargo shipping company for our country was established last year. All the time the republic did not have its own dry-cargo fleet, cargo from the port was exported by foreign ships, but now it is possible to implement the “own cargo - own port - own fleet” model. Two dry-cargo ships with a deadweight of 5 thousand tons, the President of the Republic gave the names "Turkestan" and "Beket-Ata". By 2020, the Kazakh dry-cargo fleet is expected to be 20 vessels.

Along with this, the expansion and modernization of the Aktau seaport will provide the republic with an increase in the export of grain, oil, metals for more than low prices, which will increase the competitiveness of Kazakhstani goods and will definitely have a positive impact on the country's economy. In addition to export, the port's activities will continue to develop in the areas of expanding promising routes, reducing the cost and duration of transportation, transiting cargo from China, the Ural regions of Russia and the Persian Gulf countries. In any case, in addition to the planned development, the natural development continues: the revival of business activity and trade between different countries guarantees the load on the port of Aktau, with which the employees of the Republican State Enterprise cope with honor.