Today, the Turkmenistan Investment Forum (TIF 2024) opened at the "Yyldyz" hotel in the capital, attracting the attention of business representatives, investors and international experts. One of the participants, the "Turkmendenizderyayollary" Agency, showcased several significant investment projects in the maritime transport sector. These projects aim to develop and modernize Turkmenistan's maritime transport infrastructure, enhancing the country's competitiveness on the international stage.
With Turkmenistan's rapidly growing economy and increasing cargo volumes, the modernization of the maritime fleet and infrastructure is particularly relevant. The "Turkmendenizderyayollary" Agency plans to implement several key projects from 2019 to 2025 to improve transportation quality and expand production capabilities.
The first project involves the construction of universal dry cargo ships. With the opening of new industrial facilities, such as urea and polypropylene plants, there is a growing need for modern dry cargo ships. Currently, the national fleet covers 20% of the country's export-import cargo, so new dry cargo ships will facilitate more efficient transportation, considering the increasing demand for containerization in the Caspian Sea.
Another important project is the creation of an oil spill response vessel. This vessel will effectively eliminate oil and petroleum product spills, meeting international environmental standards. It is expected to generate a monthly profit of about one hundred thousand US dollars, contributing to environmental protection and safe cargo operations. Additionally, new tankers are planned for the transportation of oil and petroleum products from the ports of Ekerem, Alaja and Turkmenbashi.
Turkmenistan, as a major oil exporter, is expanding its tanker fleet. Equally significant is the project to build Ro-Pax ferries designed for transporting rail and road transport.
Existing ferries between Baku and Turkmenbashi have high occupancy, confirming strong demand. Plans include expanding the route network and increasing the fleet, including ferries for transporting rail cars.
With increased oil and gas production in the Caspian Sea, there is a need for a new transport-tug vessel to service offshore platforms, enhancing the efficiency of national vessels. Furthermore, the Agency plans to build a dredging vessel to deepen and expand navigation channels in key ports, such as the Turkmenbashi International Seaport. This will improve navigation conditions and offer dredging services to oil companies, providing additional revenue. Thus, the investment projects presented by the "Turkmendenizderyayollary" Agency at TIF 2024 aim for significant development of Turkmenistan's maritime transport infrastructure. Implementing these initiatives will not only improve the quality and volume of transportation but also enhance the country's competitiveness on the international stage.
