Turkmenistan to commission second cargo vessel by year-end

Turkmenistan plans to commission a second dry cargo vessel built at the Balkan shipyard in the coming months, Baku International Sea Trade Port head Eldar Salahov said. The vessel will be named “Menzil”.

Salahov said the joint operation of “Menzil” and the already commissioned “Gadamly” vessel would help increase container shipments between the ports of Turkmenbashi and Baku.

According to him, “Gadamly” was the first vessel produced at the Balkan shipyard in Turkmenistan. It has a cargo capacity of 6,100 tonnes and can carry 240 TEU containers.

Salahov said the launch of the new vessels would contribute to higher cargo turnover between Turkmenbashi and Baku, particularly in container transportation.

He said the Baku port’s current container handling capacity stands at 150,000 TEU. Through equipment upgrades, expansion of sorting station capacity and dredging works, the port aims to raise that figure to 260,000 TEU by the end of this year or early next year.

The new vessels could increase shipment volumes by 25-30% or more, Salahov said.

He added that a tender process for dredging works had already started, with practical work expected to begin by the end of summer.

Salahov also said the port’s seventh berth, designed for container operations, had already been commissioned. A new Italian-made mobile harbour crane with a lifting capacity of 125 tonnes is also expected to strengthen the port’s cargo handling capacity.