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.
The speaker presented a Gulf–Europe delivery concept in which, at the initial stage, cargo will be transported by trucks, with a long-term transition to rail infrastructure that Saudi Arabia and Qatar plan to actively develop by 2030. Transit time by road from Abu Dhabi to Turkey already stands at just 12–15 days, which is faster than sea freight.
Krutonog highlighted the significant potential of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, which could add up to 400,000 tons of cargo per year to the Middle Corridor. She also mentioned the Lapis Lazuli Corridor through Afghanistan – a country that, after years of war, is beginning to attract interest from logistics companies as a future growth point.
“The Middle Corridor can absorb flows from the Gulf. This is not just an alternative to Suez, but a gateway to new emerging markets in Central Asia, where the population of Uzbekistan alone is growing by one million people per year.”
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