George Doborjginidze, Chairman of the Georgian Logistics Association, provided an overview of the key opportunities, bottlenecks and weaknesses that need to be addressed to ensure the smooth movement of goods along the Middle Corridor.
Liliana Krutonog, General Director of MALBI-trans s.r.o., first of all, briefly described the country in which our forum was held – Georgia. Georgia’s economic performance is impressive, with steady growth in gross domestic product and declining inflation pointing to the country’s prospects. Forecasts for the coming years are optimistic, with GDP expected to grow by 5% in 2024 and 5.5% in 2025, as well as a significant reduction in public debt.
Kazakhstan and Turkey signed an agreement to simplify cargo transportation, which opens up new prospects for trade and economic cooperation between the two countries. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has already signed a law ratifying this agreement, which is aimed at facilitating transit on railway lines, speeding up the border clearance process for container trains, as well as for rail ferry and Ro-Ro operations.
Kanat Kobesov, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the NurZhol Company, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Exporters KazGrain, began his speech by noting that in the modern world, transport corridors are becoming a focus of attention in the context of geopolitical changes and trends. Particularly noteworthy are the corridors of the Caucasus, Central Asia and China, which are now at the peak of popularity. A notable example of this trend is the launch of multimodal cargo transportation between China and Tajikistan through Kulob station in November 2022. As part of this transportation, cargo is delivered through Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Turkey and Iran to its destination. This initiates not only the development of the trans-Afghan railway, but also ensures access for Kazakh and Uzbek cargo to Iranian ports on the Indian Sea.
Port of Antwerp-Bruges saw a notable increase in total cargo throughput for the first quarter of this year, reaching 70.4 million tonnes, marking a 2.4% rise compared to the same period last year. This growth, amidst a challenging geopolitical and macroeconomic landscape, reflects the port’s resilience, primarily fueled by a resurgence in container throughput.
The CRESPORT project is dedicated to enhancing the cybersecurity of Adriatic ports, recognizing their critical role in European maritime traffic. As digitization becomes integral to supply chain competitiveness, port infrastructure faces increased vulnerability to cyber threats. Given the potential economic impact of disruptions caused by cyber-attacks, CRESPORT aims to strengthen the resilience of ports through collaborative efforts, fostering territorial cohesion across Italy, Croatia, and beyond.
KTZ presented a draft of a new Regulation on the distribution of freight cars at Kaztemirtrans JSC. The company’s general director, Kairat Saurbaev, notes that the main goal of this initiative is to create fair conditions for all market participants and increase the efficiency of logistics processes.
ვერტ-ამ-რაინში დაფუძნებულმა კომპანია „კონტარგომ“ წარმოადგინა აკუმულატორზე მომუშავე ელექტრომობილი Mercedes-Benz eActros 600, რაც კონტეინერების ტრანსპორტირების ელექტრომობილობის ეტაპს აღნიშნავს. ვარაუდობენ, რომ ვერტსა და მის შემოგარენში ყოველდღიურად 800 კილომეტრზე მეტი მანძილის გავლა იქნება შესაძლებელი და ეს ავტომობილი ინოვაციებისადმი „კონტარგოს“ ერთგულებას ასახავს.
Important negotiations between the transport ministers of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan focused on joint projects. Marat Karabaev and Ilkhom Makhkamov discussed a wide range of cooperation, including the construction of new transport corridors and infrastructure modernization. One of the key projects was the Darbaza – Maktaaral railway line, which will increase the capacity between the countries by 10 million tons.
At the Sóstó industrial park in Székesfehérvár, ÖBB Rail Cargo Group (RCG) welcomed LX Pantos, a global logistics player, in a momentous event. RCG Board Member Christoph Grasl passed the symbolic key for the Logisztár terminal to Jeonghwan Woo, Head of LX Pantos’ European Business Group, amidst a gathering of 90 distinguished guests. This collaboration aims to capitalize on business opportunities in automotive and battery transport across Eastern Europe, leveraging the combined logistics expertise and specialized knowledge of both partners.
