Chinese container maker to develop shipments through Astrakhan SEZ
ASTRAKHAN. Sept 6 (Interfax) - Guangdong Xinhui Cimc Special Transportation Equipment Co. Ltd., a Chinese container manufacturer, plans to develop cargo shipments through the Lotus Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Astrakhan Region.
The Chinese company, Moscow-based Kiton Group LC and JSC Lotus SEZ signed an agreement at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok to develop logistics and containerized cargo shipments along the North-South international transport corridor, including by using infrastructure at the port SEZ in Astrakhan Region, the SEZ's press service reported.
"Kiton Group has been engaged in cargo transportation since 2009, while Guangdong Xinhui Cimc Special Transportation Equipment Co. Ltd. Makes cargo, specialized and module containers, as well as vehicles. Cooperation with such partners will become a good stimulus in the development of transport services, including with the use of the Astrakhan port SEZ's infrastructure," Lotus SEZ deputy CEO Andrei Nalimov was quoted as saying in the press release.
He said the construction of container ships at the Lotus Shipyard that can carry international standard containers, including refrigerated ones, will help consolidate efforts to launch scheduled shipments along the North-South corridor, make them regular and ensure a constant flow of cargo traffic through Astrakhan Region, Nalimov said. The Lotus Shipyard, the SEZ's anchor resident, is a unit of the United Shipbuilding Corporation's Southern shipbuilding division.
The Lotus SEZ, formed almost 10 years ago, lies on 996 hectares in the Narimanovsky district, 40 km from Astrakhan. It is aimed at localizing manufacturing such as shipbuilding and production of oil, gas and other industrial equipment, as well as the high-tech sector.
Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed a resolution in November 2020 to create a port SEZ and Caspian cluster in the area of the Astrakhan port Olya as part of comprehensive measures to develop the North-South international transport corridor. The Lotus SEZ was merged into the cluster with the port SEZ.
The Astrakhan and Olya ports combined handled 4.477 million tonnes of cargo in 2023, 50% more than in 2022. Cargo traffic through the ports is growing amid increased demand for shipments along the North-South international transport corridor, which both ports serve.
Astrakhan Region Governor Igor Babushkin said cargo handling at ports in the region could reach 5 million tonnes in 2024, which would be an 11.7% increase from 2023.