Transportation and Logistics Potential of the Astrakhan Region Was Presented in Tatarstan
15.05.2025
Today a meeting of the Caspian International Integration Club “North-South” was held. The meeting discussed the new concept of the International North-South Transport Corridor. It will contribute to the increase of cargo traffic prior to the full commissioning of the infrastructure on the route, as well as the creation of a unified operator, the need for which has been under consideration for several years.
The transportation and logistics potential of our region was presented to the audience by Ilya Volynsky, Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Astrakhan Region, and Alexander Kim, General Director of the managing company of the Caspian Cluster of SEZs.
- Today the Astrakhan Region unites a developed network of all modern modes of transportation including shipping routes, seaports, roads and railways, an international airport. Two seaports with the capacity of 16 million tons have made the region a key link in the development of the corridor in the south of Russia, and we continue to increase transshipment capacity. The seaport of Astrakhan is expanding its borders and increasing its transshipment capacity. The seaport of Olya in 2024 took the leading position among the cargo terminals of the Astrakhan Region”, - said Ilya Volynsky.He also noted that since 2022 the ports of the Astrakhan Region have steadily increased transshipment volumes. In 2023 they handled 4.5 million tons, in 2024 cargo turnover was already over 6 million tons. Such high indicators have not been registered for the last ten years.
To serve the commodity flows along the eastern and western branches of the corridor, a road and rail logistics hub has been created in the region. This hub handles the main flow of agricultural products and other goods along the western route of the INSTC, as they transit through Azerbaijan from Iran, Turkey, Pakistan and India.
- Large investment projects are being implemented in the Astrakhan Region as part of the development of the International North-South Transport Corridor. We will continue joint work with friendly countries on logistics, elimination of existing infrastructural limitations and realization of joint projects in the Caspian Cluster. The region is ready to accept additional cargo volumes and provide their transportation via the INSTC, - said the Deputy Prime Minister of the Astrakhan Region.In order to increase port capacities in the region a port special economic zone has been created and united with the industrial SEZ into the Caspian Cluster. There are 3 tenants with total declared investments of about 29 billion rubles. The companies are implementing projects for the construction of a modern terminal to receive container and general cargo, as well as oil and grain terminals and a logistics refrigeration terminal.
The Lotus industrial special economic zone is also capable of providing an efficient cargo base with its 16 registered tenants with the total volume of declared investments of about 27.5 billion rubles. They are implementing projects in various industries: construction of ships and components, production of geosynthetics, fish feed, high quality flour, cleaning agents, etc. Three factories are already in operation, and additional phases of enterprises are about to launch.
- The Caspian Cluster of SEZs not only provides favorable conditions for localization of production facilities, but also works actively with international partners. Representatives of Iran and Turkmenistan are building their enterprises on the territory of the industrial zone. The INSTC and various logistic routes through the Caspian basin provide access to the markets of the CIS countries, Asia and Africa. Within a radius of 1000 kilometers from Astrakhan there are countries with a total population of more than 300 million people. Thus, the SEZs of the Caspian Cluster are maximally attractive for companies that are planning to enter these countries with their products or services, - said Alexander Kim, Director General of JSC SEZ Lotus.
In addition, to solve existing logistical problems on the Trans-Caspian section of the INSTC, the largest in the Middle East Iranian Foundation Mostazafan together with a tenant of the port SEZ in 2023 created a joint company to organize road transportation between the northern and southern ports of Iran. Earlier this section caused the greatest concerns of logisticians, as there is no large unified logistic company for road transportation in Iran, and the volume of transit cargoes passing through this route by land is huge.
At the end of his speech, Alexander Kim focused on tax benefits and customs preferences, which according to federal legislation are granted to tenants of special economic zones and the opportunities offered by cooperation with the Caspian Cluster of SEZ.