Meretmammet Batyrov
Today, the investment forum of Turkmenistan (TIF 2024) opened in the capital’s Yildiz Hotel, which attracted the attention of business representatives, investors and international experts. One of the forum participants was the Turkmen Denizderyayollary Agency, which demonstrated a number of significant investment projects in the field of maritime transport. These projects are aimed at developing and modernizing the maritime transport infrastructure of Turkmenistan, which contributes to increasing the country’s competitiveness in the international arena.
In the context of the rapid growth of the economy of Turkmenistan and the increase in cargo transportation volumes, the modernization of the maritime fleet and infrastructure is becoming especially relevant. The Turkmen Denizderyollary Agency, within the framework of the plan for 2019-2025, intends to implement several key projects aimed at improving the quality of transportation and expanding production capabilities.
The first project concerns the construction of universal dry cargo ships. With the opening of new industrial facilities, such as plants for the production of urea and polypropylene, the need for modern dry cargo ships increases. At present, the national fleet covers 20% of the country’s export-import cargo, so the new dry cargo ships will facilitate more efficient transportation of cargo, given the growing demand for containerization in the Caspian.
The next important project is the construction of an oil and waste collection vessel. This vessel will effectively eliminate oil and oil product spills, meeting international environmental standards. It is expected that the monthly profit from its operation will be about one hundred thousand US dollars, which will contribute to environmental protection and ensure safe cargo operations. It is also planned to build new tankers, which are necessary for the transportation of oil and oil products from the ports of Ekerem, Aladzha and Turkmenbashi.
Turkmenistan, being a major oil exporter, is expanding the capabilities of its tanker fleet. No less significant is the project to build Ro-Pax ferries designed for the transportation of rail and road transport.
The existing ferries between Baku and Turkmenbashi have high occupancy rates, which confirms the high demand. There are plans to expand the route network and increase the fleet, including ferries for transporting railway cars.
With the increase in oil and gas production in the Caspian Sea, there is a need for a new transport and tugboat to service offshore platforms. This will increase the efficiency of using national vessels. In addition, the Agency plans to build a dredging vessel that will deepen and widen navigation channels in key ports, such as the Turkmenbashi International Sea Port. This will improve navigation conditions and provide dredging services for oil companies, generating additional revenue. Thus, the investment projects of the Turkmen Denizderyoyllary Agency presented at TIF 2024 are aimed at significantly developing the maritime transport infrastructure of Turkmenistan. The implementation of these initiatives will not only improve the quality and volume of transportation, but also increase the country’s competitiveness in the international arena. /// Cross post from TDH, 10 September 2024