Caucasus

Head of Insurance at Marine Insurance Services, Stanislav Kovaliov, presented sobering risk statistics at the BLACK SEA TRANSPORT CORRIDORS 2026: PORTS, RAILWAYS, SHIPPING conference. One of the most important facts is that in the event of a maritime accident under the General Average principle, cargo owners may be required to pay 10–20% of the cargo value to cover salvage operations. In such cases, the freight forwarder’s liability does not apply – only direct cargo insurance can provide protection.

Head of Sales at VTG Rail Europe Elena Margl, speaking at the BLACK SEA TRANSPORT CORRIDORS 2026: PORTS, RAILWAYS, SHIPPING conference, presented rail transport as the most stable solution in times of global uncertainty. While air and road transport are affected by fuel price volatility and longer routes, rail offers a transparent cost structure and compliance with emerging carbon regulations.

DP World has introduced a unique war risk insurance solution for cargo owners operating on Middle East routes – a region where traditional insurance instruments have become fragmented, expensive, or entirely unavailable. The new program ensures continuous coverage across the entire supply chain: from sea or air transport to port storage and subsequent inland delivery. This eliminates critical gaps found in standard policies, which typically provide coverage for only a single stage of the transportation process. Thanks to the company’s scale and its partnerships within the global insurance market, the cost of the policy is significantly lower than typical war risk premiums.

Liliana Krutonog, CEO of MALBI-trans, announced a project to launch a new multimodal route from the Persian Gulf countries to Europe at the BLACK SEA TRANSPORT CORRIDORS 2026: PORTS, RAILWAYS, SHIPPING conference. The route is intended to become a reliable alternative to the Suez Canal amid ongoing instability.

Commercial Director of Carpatica Feroviar Romania Renata Godja, speaking at the BLACK SEA TRANSPORT CORRIDORS 2026: PORTS, RAILWAYS, SHIPPING conference, presented the company as a new national player ready to challenge stagnation in the freight transport market. The company operates an impressive asset base of 200 locomotives and 6,450 wagons, maintained in seven in-house workshops across the country. The speaker emphasized that in a rapidly changing logistics environment, railways must become the “green” backbone of the economy.

Associate Director for Infrastructure at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Venera Vlad, speaking at the BLACK SEA TRANSPORT CORRIDORS 2026: PORTS, RAILWAYS, SHIPPING conference, presented the bank’s financial strategy, highlighting that since 1991 it has invested more than €200 billion across 7,000 projects. A distinctive feature of the EBRD’s approach is its strict policy of not financing fossil fuel transportation, with a full focus on the green transition and low-carbon solutions.

Head of Marketing at the Port of Constanța, Daniel Jarnea, at the BLACK SEA TRANSPORT CORRIDORS 2026: PORTS, RAILWAYS, SHIPPING conference presented a strategic overview of the port’s development as a central hub linking the Rhine-Main-Danube waterway with the new Baltic–Black Sea–Aegean corridor. A key message was the positioning of Constanța as the primary export hub for Ukrainian cargoes and a crucial link in the Middle Corridor.

The international conference BLACK SEA TRANSPORT CORRIDORS 2026: PORTS, RAILWAYS, SHIPPING was held on April 20–22, 2026 in Constanta, Romania, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel – Mamaia Beach.

On April 23–24, 2026, meetings of the Working Group, the Board, and the General Assembly of the International Association “Trans-Caspian International Transport Route” were held in Astana. Participants were presented with a report on the Association’s activities for 2025, which confirmed the route’s steady positive growth trajectory; they also discussed transport plans for 2026 and measures for their implementation.

As part of the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) is implementing new logistics solutions aimed at accelerating container shipping and improving the synchronization of rail and sea flows. In the first quarter of 2026, 125 container trains were transported along the route, a 34.4% increase compared to the same period last year.