(Yicai) July 4 — China achieved its first cargo truck journey across the Caspian Sea to add a fourth option of transport modes to Europe in addition to air, sea, and rail.
Some 16 freight vehicles from China and 10 from Kazakhstan boarded a Caspian Sea ferry at the port of Kuryk in Kazakhstan yesterday, arrived at the port of Baku in Azerbaijan, and proceeded to destinations including Georgia and Turkey, Yicai learned from the transport ministry. This is the first route for Chinese trucks to travel through Kazakhstan, cross the Caspian Sea, and finally reach Europe.
Currently, China has a route that combines sea and rail transport across the Caspian Sea with stable operations, according to the ministry. However, the goal is to introduce more diversified options. Next, both China and Kazakhstan will conduct in-depth assessments of the relevant aspects of the China-Europe Trans-Caspian Express, continue to strengthen cooperation, and jointly promote regular operations, per the ministry.
The Chinese convoy had originally departed from the Horgos Port in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region on June 26, going through Kazakhstan to reach the world’s largest inland body of water. The total distance they will travel is as long as 4,800 kilometers from Horgos to the destinations, taking from eight to 11 days.
The trucks are mainly carrying parts of wind turbines and electronics, produced in the Yangtze River Delta or Pearl River Delta, said Guan Xiaonan, a transport official. Customs procedures should be easy due to a multilateral treaty that enables a single declaration throughout the journey.
The launch of the China-Europe Trans-Caspian Express is another breakthrough in China’s international road transport, providing domestic enterprises with a new option to connect with Europe and making the related logistics routes more diversified, said Li Ruibin, chairman of Zhengzhou-based Hongyi Transportation, who participated in the ministry’s event yesterday.
China has established cooperation in international road transport with 21 countries, based on public data. The Asian nation has 68 ports that accept wheeled vehicles along with 440 international road transport enterprises and over 300 such routes.
Editor: Emmi Laine