A ferry service, which is due to connect Russia’s Caspian Sea port Makhachkala (Dagestan) with port Turkmenbashi (Turkmenistan) is to be launched this year.
Makhachkala is expected to become a transit point, and a transport corridor to the Black Sea is planned to be built from Makhachkala. In the medium term, up to 8 million tons of cargo is to be transported through Makhachkala-Turkmenbashi corridor annually.
Makhachkala Commercial Sea Port features a complex designed for 3 million tons of cargo per year. It offers berths for bulk cargo, general cargo, and containers with a capacity of up to 1.2 million tons per year.
Port's annual capacity is expected to be 17-18 million cargo tons. The international passenger and ferry port will be able to serve a total of 75,000 trailers (trucks) and 300,000 passengers a year. The containership terminal has an average annual capacity of 400,000 TEUs (20-ft containers). Project's cost implemented by Turkey's Gap Insaat Company is over USD 1.5 billion.