The Chinese company Beijing Trans Eurasia International Logistics has guaranteed the reliability and speed of cargo delivery along the Middle Corridor

The onset of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict precipitated a surge in demand for cargo transit from China to Europe. In March 2022, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Georgia took preliminary measures to expedite infrastructure development, streamline cargo transshipment procedures at ports situated on the Caspian and Black Sea coasts, and guarantee the uninterrupted transit of cargo. In particular, the countries agreed to harmonise their actions, unify the rules that govern them and reduce the tariffs they levy.

Additionally, companies from Georgia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan initiated a regular ferry service between the ports of Poti in Georgia and Constanta in Romania in June 2023. The ferry route between Poti in Georgia and Constanta in Romania has become the shortest and most direct connection between the countries of the Caucasus and Central Asia with Europe. Furthermore, a ferry service operates between the Georgian port of Poti and the Bulgarian port of Burgas, as well as between Batumi and the Bulgarian port of Varna.

The initial assessments of the Middle Corridor utilising the Poti-Konstantsa ferry crossing have now been made public. China's Beijing Trans Eurasia International Logistics, a member of the Middle Corridor, has asserted that it can reliably deliver cargo on this route from Altynkol (the Kazakhstan-China border) to Hamburg in 30 days via Central Asia, the Caspian Sea, the South Caucasus and the Black Sea.

Beijing Trans Eurasia International Logistics is working closely with its partners to optimise the Middle Corridor, including chartering ships in the Black Sea and leasing locomotives in Europe. At present, the Altynkol-Aktau section requires 13 days, the Baku-Poti section 5-6 days, and the Burgas and Constanta to Duisburg section 5-8 days. Wanhu Dong, the managing director of China's Beijing Trans Eurasia International Logistics, asserted that the route is stable.

It was observed that the Black Sea section engages in the chartering of vessels for the transportation of containerised cargo (300 TEU), and that there is a process of adaptation involving the ownership of wagons and locomotives by companies within the EU.

The dependable transit time from Altynkol to Hamburg is 30 days. In light of the challenges posed by the Suez Canal, the Middle Corridor has demonstrated a commendable degree of efficiency, according to Dong.

It is important to note that the estimated time for reliable transit of goods along the Middle Corridor is subject to a certain degree of uncertainty. This is considerably longer than the realistic timeframe for cargo transshipment in ports, given the current acceleration in this process. In the same port of Constanta, the unloading of the ferry and customs clearance of cargoes typically require 5-6 hours.

It is feasible to transport cargo from Altynkol to Hamburg within a timeframe of 15 to 20 days. This is a considerably more expeditious method of transportation than that which involves the conveyance of cargo from China to Hamburg via the Suez Canal, which requires a transit time of 45 to 60 days. Therefore, the Middle Corridor represents a rapid and dependable conduit for the conveyance of cargo from China to Europe.



Gulnara Safarli
Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey Strategic Partnership Information Support Centre

SR-CENTER.INFO