Transit freight through Azerbaijan exceeded 12 million metric tons in January–September 2026, up 14.5% from a year earlier and the highest level in five years, the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport said.
Report and APA published the ministry’s figures.
Transit volumes on the East–West route increased 20.2%, while those on the North–South route rose 19%.
Container handling grew 29% in the nine-month period to 100,000 TEUs, or twenty-foot equivalent units. Dry cargo handling rose 71% to 1.73 million metric tons.
The ministry attributed the growth to infrastructure development, digitalization and coordination between agencies. It also cited changes in global trade routes as a contributing factor.
Vessel handling time fell from about 20 hours to four or five hours, according to the ministry. Baku Port currently has annual capacity of 15 million metric tons. An expansion is intended to increase that to 25 million metric tons and raise container capacity to 500,000 TEUs.
In a separate assessment, the ministry said development of the Zangezur corridor could create the potential to carry up to an additional 15 million metric tons a year. That is a forecast of potential capacity, not a volume already achieved.
Source: Vesti Baku.