Turkmenbashi International Seaport
| Turkmenbashi International Seaport | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | Turkmenistan |
| Location | Turkmenbashi |
| Details | |
| Opened | 1896 |
| Operated by | State Service of Maritime and River Transportation of Turkmenistan |
| Owned by | Government of Turkmenistan |
| Type of harbor | passenger port, cargo port |
| Employees | over 500 |
|
Website http://turkmenmaritime.gov.tm/ | |
The Turkmenbashi International Seaport (Turkmen: Türkmenbaşy halkara deňiz porty) is the main passenger harbour and cargo port in Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan.
It is located in the eastern part of the Caspian Sea. Regular lines serve routes to Baku (Azerbaijan), Aktau (Kazakhstan) and Astrakhan (Russia).
It is the largest seaport in Turkmenistan.
History
The port was founded in October 1896 on the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea.
On January 1, 1903, the Merchant marine port Authority was established.
Cargo traffic increased over the years, therefore, there an idea occurred to build a ferry terminal. Since 1959, the port began a construction of a ferry. Regular voyages on ferryline Baku-Krasnovodsk started taking in 1962. The ferry terminal transportation has allowed to significantly accelerate cargo delivery.
In 2000-2003, was produced massive reconstruction port. Were reconstructed old and construction of new berths for ships and warehouses and other facilities, acquired modern equipment. This made it possible to provide port services at the higher that level.
In 2013, the port built passenger catamaran "Charlak". It was the first shipbuilding project of this level in the history of the port.[1]
August 15, 2013 began the construction of a new port, worth $ 2 billion, to erect a Turkish company GAP İnşaat.[2] At the groundbreaking ceremony was attended by President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan.[3] Completion of construction is scheduled for 2016. The project involves the construction of the ferry, passenger and cargo terminals in 1 mln 200 thousand square meters. It is also planned to build a shipyard.[4]
Importance
Turkmenbashi port have great geopolitical importance in Eurasia. Being on the trade route Europe-Caucasus-Asia (TRACECA), it is able to accommodate vessels throughout the year, around the clock to carry out loading and unloading operations. The port is a "sea gate", linking Central Asia to Europe by sea, road and rail routes and serves as a major transit hub in the region.