Kazakhstan, China carry out pilot haulage by road and ferry to Europe

ASTANA. May 24 (Interfax) - Kazakhstan and China have carried out pilot haulage of goods along the route China - Kazakhstan - Azerbaijan - Georgia through the seaports of Kuryk in Kazakhstan and Baku in Azerbaijan for the first time, the Kazakh Transport Ministry press office said.

The first three Chinese trucks weighing 80 tonnes that left Urumqi, used the transit route and on May 23 were loaded onto a ferry at the Kuryk port to continue moving along the route.

"For the first time, vehicles of the two countries have access to directly travel to all major trading cities of the parties and even make transit through the territories. Today the majority of cargo from China to Western countries is delivered by sea in up to 52 days, and a smaller volume of cargo is delivered by rail in up to 22 days.

Road haulage can reduce these periods to 12 days, delivering cargo "door to door without intermediate loading/unloading," Ali Altai, Chairman of the Committee on Road Transport and Transport Control at the Transport Ministry is quoted as saying.

Most of the cargo is paper and cellulose products, ready-to-eat food, wood and wood products, machinery, mechanisms and equipment, animal products and others.