Azerbaijan to expand Baku port capacity to 25 million tonnes, build 10 new vessels

Azerbaijan plans to increase the handling capacity of its main trade port on the Caspian Sea to 25 million tonnes from the current 15 million tonnes, President Ilham Aliyev said.

Speaking at a media forum in Shusha, Aliyev said Azerbaijan was expanding its transport infrastructure to handle growing cargo flows between Central Asia and Europe.

He added that 10 new vessels were currently being built at the country’s shipyard to increase cargo transportation capacity.

Aliyev said Azerbaijan’s location between Central Asia and Europe, along with its close ties with Central Asian countries and the European Commission, gave the country an important advantage as a regional transit hub.

He said Baku’s policy was aimed at cooperation and taking into account the interests of neighbouring countries, while expecting its own concerns to be respected.