A closer look at the Middle Corridor
Talking to Nikolaus Kohler, Militzer & Münch’s regional manager for the Middle East and Central Asia. The Middle Corridor is very much the talk of the town these days. There are no end of difficulties on trans-Asian routes, however, as they aren’t fully developed yet and sanctions against Russia and Iran also have to be adhered to. In an interview with Christian Doepgen, Militzer & Münch’s Nikolaus Kohler explained that the routes do work, and how they work.
Is any movement possible at all in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia these days, in view of the ongoing sanctions? Nikolaus Kohler answered in the affirmative. “Goods find their way; forwarders act as their signposts” the member of Militzer & Münch’s group management, who’s in charge of business in the Middle East and Central Asia, elaborated.
Volumes have dropped, he added, but the capacities available in the region are fully utilised, as they’re heavily used and booked – sometimes at high prices.
Clients are more flexible, on account of known bottlenecks, and exchanges are intense, as compliance has become more important in the face of sanctions. “Today, almost every order requires some individual planning,” Kohler reported.
He provided the ITJ with one prime example. “We recently routed a consignment consisting of 100 t of chemical goods destined for Turkey via Bandar Abbas in Iran, Kazakhstan and then Azeri in Azerbaijan, in order to get it to its final destination.” A great effort is required today, with direct transports rarely possible. Thus the rail route through the Caucasus to Central Asia is an attractive alternative for European companies.
There’s no lack of new projects in the region. A blocktrain operating on the route between Baku in Azerbaijan and the Georgian port of Poti has been under discussion for decades. Overall, the Middle Corridor’s infrastructure is still somewhat underdeveloped, however.
Isn’t it tedious to constantly have to spend time finding new and untested routes? we asked Kohler. “I’ve rarely had as much fun at work as I have these days,” he explained. “I have to open Google Maps first for many of the transport requests,” he elaborated. Trained forwarders always appreciate facing a new challenge!