Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan Plan To Resume Passenger Ferry Service Across Caspian Sea

Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are working to resume passenger transportation across the Caspian Sea between the ports of Aktau and Baku, Kazakhstan's Ambassador to Azerbaijan Alim Bayel said.

The initiative was proposed by Kazakhstan and has received support from Azerbaijan, with transport authorities from both countries now working to restore the passenger connection, according to the ambassador.

“Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan will resume passenger transportation in the Caspian. I am pleased that Azerbaijan supports Kazakhstan's proposal. Currently, the transport agencies of the two countries have begun work to restore passenger relations as soon as possible,” Bayel said.

Passenger services between the two ports were suspended in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic and have not resumed since.

Before the suspension, around 1,500 passengers a year travelled between the Kazakh and Azerbaijani ports by sea, according to Bayel.

The planned restoration of the route is expected to strengthen tourism links between the two countries and expand passenger connectivity across the Caspian Sea.

The initiative also comes as Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan deepen cooperation on the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, or Middle Corridor, which connects Central Asia with the South Caucasus and European markets.

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