Turkmenbashi International Seaport

The Turkmenbashi International Seaport (Turkmen: Türkmenbaşy halkara deňiz porty) is the main passenger harbour and cargo port in Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan.

Turkmenbashi International Seaport
Location
CountryTurkmenistan
LocationTurkmenbashi
Coordinates40°0′N 53°2′E[1]
UN/LOCODETMKRW[2]
Details
Opened1896
Operated byState Service of Maritime and River Transportation of Turkmenistan
Owned byGovernment of Turkmenistan
Type of harborpassenger port, cargo port
Employeesover 500
Statistics
Website
http://turkmenbashiseaport.tm/

It is located in the eastern part of the Caspian Sea. Regular lines serve routes to Baku (Azerbaijan),[3] Aktau (Kazakhstan) and Astrakhan (Russia).

It is the largest seaport in Turkmenistan.

History
Alcyone in 1998, Port of Turkmenbashy city
Caspian Sea at the Port of Türkmenbaşy

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, a massive reconstruction project began. The old port was reconstructed along with construction of new berths for ships and warehouses and other facilities with modern equipment. This made it possible to provide port services at the highest level.

In 2013, the port built passenger catamaran "Charlak". It was the first shipbuilding project of this level in the history of the port.[4]

August 15, 2013 began the construction of a new port, worth $2 billion, to erect a Turkish company GAP İnşaat.[5] At the groundbreaking ceremony was attended by President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan.[6] Construction was completed in 2018.[7] 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.[8][9]

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.

References
  1. "Port of Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan". www.findaport.com. Shipping Guides LTD. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  2. "UNLOCODE (TM) - TURKMENISTAN". service.unece.org. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  3. The Turkmenbashi International seaport offers cargo and passenger transportation services
  4. "Turkey helps Turkmenistan to organize Caspian Sea cruises". Today.az. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-10-04. Retrieved 2013-10-01.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. "President of Turkmenistan and Turkish Prime Minister inaugurate project on construction of new Caspian Sea port". Turkmenistan.ru. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  7. "History | About us | International seaport". Turkmenbashiseaport.tm. Retrieved 2019-02-10.
  8. "Energy-rich Turkmenistan to build $2 bln Caspian Sea port". In.reuters.com. 15 August 2013. Retrieved 8 March 2019 – via in.reuters.com.
  9. "President of Turkmenistan inaugurates new Turkmenbashi International Seaport". Turkmenistan.ru. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
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