A portion of the cargo traveling along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TCIMR), which links China to Europe, is set to be routed through Ukraine, reported the Director of Commercial Operations and Logistics at JSC "Ukrzaliznytsia," Timofey Murakhovsky, during a meeting of the Exporters' Office on Wednesday.
According to him, UZ has been involved in the project for six months already. One of the steps planned for its implementation is to register the company UZ Cargo East in Kazakhstan. Additionally, the ferries "Heroes of Pleven" and "Heroes of Shipka," which UZ intended to transfer to the State Property Fund of Ukraine as non-core assets, will be utilized.
"A supervisory board meeting took place (on Monday, February 17 - IF-U) where the creation of a new legal entity, UZ Cargo East in Kazakhstan, was approved. This enterprise will operate on the middle corridor from China to Europe via Ukraine," Murakhovsky stated.
He mentioned that the ferries "Heroes of Pleven" and "Heroes of Shipka" are expected to transport container trains from the Caspian ports in Baku, and then from the Georgian port of Poti to Odessa. From there, the cargo will be sent to Europe.
"We will become operators not only of rail transport but also of maritime transport. The ultimate goal is to create a corridor that provides turnkey services for our clients from China to Europe," Murakhovsky said.
The Director of Commercial Operations and Logistics at UZ noted that the next meeting to discuss the mentioned project with the participation of UZ representatives will take place in two weeks in Baku.
Murakhovsky added that the project for the new Transnational Transport Multimodal Corridor has the support of the governments of China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Georgia.
When asked by the "Interfax-Ukraine" agency, he declined to specify the approximate timeline for the project's launch but added that the ferries could transport at least two container trains per day, significantly increasing the cargo turnover between China and Europe.
Currently, China and Europe maintain transportation links through several main routes: one of them is the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TCIMR), or the "middle corridor," which runs through China, Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey, providing an alternative to the northern route through Russia. In 2022, the volume of transport along this corridor increased to 1.5 million tons, indicating its growing popularity.
As reported, UZ approved the transfer of the ferries "Heroes of Pleven" and "Heroes of Shipka" to the management of the State Property Fund of Ukraine: the corresponding decision was made by the company's board in early March 2024. At that time, UZ noted that transporting cargo by sea and river does not fall within its core activities. Furthermore, the company's divisions do not have docks for servicing and mooring vessels, and their use or rental requires significant financial investment.
In response to a request from the "Interfax-Ukraine" agency, UZ stated that since the transfer of the vessels to UZ's balance, the ferries have not made any maritime voyages. As a result of Russian attacks, they were not damaged; however, they currently require expensive repairs, modernization, and the reinstatement of all necessary permits.
Additionally, it was reported that in 2017, the UZ board considered the issue of chartering the ferries (bareboat charter). Specifically, it was planned to launch them on the Odessa - Poti route. However, due to objective reasons, particularly the lack of an order for the management of the assets of PJSC "Ukrainian Railways" at that time, the corresponding decision was not implemented.
Back in 2015, according to an order from the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine, the ferries "Heroes of Pleven" and "Heroes of Shipka" were transferred to the balance of the state enterprise "Ukrainian Transport Service Center 'Lisky'" (the successor - the Lisky branch of the CTS of JSC "Ukrzaliznytsia").