Batumi International Container Terminal (BICT), International Container Terminal Services, Inc.’s (ICTSI) business unit in Georgia, recently welcomed ADY Container LLC’s newly launched multimodal feeder service.
The rail-sea service connects Asia to Europe via the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, also known as the Middle Corridor. It is designed to cater to the capacity requirement of the Middle Corridor, where freight traffic are surging due to the growing volume transiting via Azerbaijan.
The Russia-Ukraine war and tensions in the region mean trouble along the Northern Corridor for the transportation of internationally traded goods, Turkey’s Transport and Infrastructure Minister Adil Karaismailoğlu said, which makes the Middle Corridor encompassing Turkey a strong cost and time effective alternative.
The Northern Corridor passes through Russia to reach Europe via China but the Middle Corridor, which is also part of China’s ambitious modern Silk Road project, is shorter in distance, also when compared to the southern trade route via the Suez Canal.
“The Middle Corridor is a strong alternative for the Northern Corridor in terms of distance and time. A freight train departing from China to Europe, if it chooses the Middle Corridor and Turkey, travels 7,000 kilometers (4,350 miles) in 12 days. If it chooses this route, a distance of 10,000 kilometers and a travel time of at least 15 days can be saved. If the same train chooses the Southern Corridor, it could travel 20,000 kilometers by ship over the Suez Canal and reach Europe in 45 to 60 days,” Karaismailoğlu explained. He added that these figures demonstrate how advantageous and secure the Middle Corridor is in global trade between Asia and Europe.
