The ferry vessel “Balaken”, owned by Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company, stopped its operation for repairs at the “Bibi-Heybat” Ship repair yard. At the present, repairs of the ferry vessel at the shipyard are being carried out jointly with the specialists of the “Zigh” Ship repair yard.
Large part of the work has already been done. So, the wheels of the diesel locomotive have been repaired and replaced, the cleaning and painting of the underwater part of the vessel’s hull have been completed.
Currently, the repair of the vessel’s propeller shaft began. The steering device will also be inspected. After successful tests, which will be carried out in the near future after the completion of the repair work, the ferry will again operate along the established routes in the Caspian Sea. The ferry vessel, built on the Croatian shipyard “Ulyanik”, was commissioned in 2012. A ferry vessel, which is 155 meters long and 18 meters wide is able to accommodate 54 wagons.
It should be reminded that “Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company” CJSC is the only ferry operator in the Caspian Sea. The fleet of the Shipping Company includes 13 ferry vessels, 2 Ro-Ro vessels. 7 of 13 existing ferry vessels in the fleet contain 28 wagons, and 6 ferries – 52-54 cars. Currently, these ferries are involved in cargo transportation along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route. Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company pays special attention to increasing the number of ferries in its fleet in order to provide competitive services. In this regard the Shipping Company, ordered two unique Ro-Pax ferry vessels for the construction in Baku Shipyard, so that the transportation of increasing volumes of cargo through the East-West and back will be smoothly realized. The increase in the number of ferries is also of great importance in terms of turning Azerbaijan into a transportation and logistics center of the region and strengthening the country’s transit potential.
