Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov made an official visit to Baku, where he held talks with Azerbaijani Prime Minister Ali Asadov. The leaders discussed strengthening trade and economic ties, developing transport and logistics cooperation, and cultural and humanitarian initiatives.
Minister of Transport of Kazakhstan Marat Karabayev held talks with Finnish Ambassador Janne Heiskanen, discussing key areas of cooperation in the transport sector. The focus was on decarbonization and the introduction of environmentally friendly technologies, as well as the development of sustainable transport infrastructure.
The development company CTP has completed the construction of a multifunctional logistics park with an area of 27,300 sq. m in Linth (Brandenburg, Germany). The new facility includes 15,500 sq. m of warehouse, office and social space. Thanks to its location next to the A9 and A2 motorways, the complex has convenient transport access to Berlin and Leipzig.
International transport and logistics company Gebrüder Weiss ended the 2024 financial year with net revenue of €2.71 billion, up 10% compared to 2023 (€2.46 billion). The growth was driven mainly by investments in the transport network, automation and digitalization. In the Air & Sea segment, the company recorded the largest increase in revenue – €939 million (+21%), due to the expansion of the network in the US and Germany, the growth of trans-Pacific trade volumes and the increase in sea freight rates from China to Europe. However, the attacks in the Red Sea forced container ships to bypass Africa via the Cape of Good Hope, which affected logistics times.
Logistics giant DHL Group ended 2024 with revenue growth of 3% to €84.2 billion, despite a challenging economic environment. The company posted particularly strong results in the fourth quarter: revenue increased by 6.4% to €22.7 billion and operating profit (EBIT) increased by 12.9% to €1.9 billion. However, overall EBIT for the year decreased by 7.2% to €5.9 billion, which nevertheless remains above the pre-pandemic level.
In Baku, at a meeting of the working group on the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), JSC NC KTZ and PTC Holding signed a memorandum on the construction of a multimodal container terminal in the Georgian port of Poti. The planned capacity of the facility will exceed 80 thousand TEU per year, and the investment volume will amount to $30 million.
Romanian logistics company Aquila has announced that it is expanding its operations by acquiring the Hungarian distribution company Kitax, which specializes in hygiene products, consumables and workplace safety equipment. The deal strengthens Aquila’s position in the region and opens up its second foreign market after Moldova.
The General Assembly of the International Association “Trans-Caspian International Transport Route” (TITR) was held in Baku. Delegations from 10 countries took part in the meeting, including heads of railway administrations of the participating countries and representatives of leading transport and logistics companies.
Kazakhstan and China are strengthening their transport cooperation, having agreed to increase the volume of transportation along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR). The agreements reached were the result of the 15th meeting of the Subcommittee on Cooperation in Transport, which was held in Urumqi with the participation of Kazakhstan’s Vice Minister of Transport Maksat Kaliakparov and China’s Deputy Minister of Transport Li Yang.
The economic downturn in Germany and Europe continues to have a negative impact on freight transport and intermodal transport. In 2024, the operator Kombiverkehr KG transported around 780,000 containers, swap bodies and semi-trailers, equivalent to 1.5 million TEU. This is 5% less than the previous year. The main decline was recorded on international routes (-6%), while volumes within Germany fell by 3%. The situation was also affected by extensive construction work on the rail network, including the months-long closure of the Riedbahn. Despite the difficulties, the use of rail transport allowed the company’s customers to reduce CO2 emissions by 1.12 million tonnes.
