BAKU—Kazakhstan has unveiled plans for the Altai Mai oil extraction plant, an ambitious project set to capitalize on the strategic position of the Middle Corridor trade route. The announcement was made during the international conference “Black and Caspian Freight Forum 2024: corridors, cargos, infrastructure” held in Baku.

According to Trend News Agency, Nunu Cesar Nunes, Deputy Director of NPC Hamburg Port Consulting GmbH, discussed the potential of the Middle Corridor in enhancing global trade relations. While NPC is not directly involved in the development of the corridor, it actively contributes through consultancy and logistics operations. “We provide consultancy to other companies and also run our own logistics company involved in the transportation of goods between Europe and other regions. The Middle Corridor represents an important alternative for global supply chains that have been disrupted in recent years. This route opens up new opportunities for the transportation of goods from East to West and can also help improve trade ties and develop the economies of countries along the corridor,” Nunes stated.

The Middle Corridor, linking the container rail freight transportation networks of China with European Union countries via Central Asia, the Caucasus, Turkey, and Eastern Europe, serves as a vital multimodal transportation infrastructure. It connects ferry terminals of the Caspian and Black Seas with railway systems of China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Ukraine, and Poland, facilitating increased cargo traffic not only from China to Turkey and other European nations but also in the reverse direction.

The strategic positioning and operational capabilities of the Middle Corridor offer significant advantages, including a reduced transit time of 20-25 days for cargo delivery from China to Europe, underscoring its role as a critical element in Eurasian trade and economic modernization.