Types of Transport for Cargo Shipping in Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan is a post-Soviet state in Central Asia. The economy of Turkmenistan is, on one hand, an underdeveloped agrarian one, with more than half of the population engaged in agriculture. On the other hand, Turkmenistan has huge gas reserves, which create opportunities for energy exports and keep the country's GDP at 94th place in the world. Turkmenistan also has oil, with reserves being modest, but the country sells 6.5 million tons per year.

Level of Development of Turkmen Cargo Transport

Turkmenistan has land borders with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Iran. Access to the Caspian Sea allows the country to carry out maritime cargo transport in the region. However, Turkmenistan cannot engage in global water trade, and goods from distant foreign countries enter the country via land routes or by air.

The population of Turkmenistan is small. Agricultural and industrial centers are disconnected. The role of the transport system in the country is high. Turkmenistan has all types of modern transport: aviation, water, rail, and road.

Road Network and Its Condition

Turkmen authorities regularly report on the construction and repair of significant sections of roads with quality pavement. Such roads do exist in the country, and transporting cargo on them poses no problems. However, once you leave these roads, a completely different picture emerges: regional roads are broken in many places, with many dirt roads that can be difficult to pass. The total length of roads in Turkmenistan exceeds 5,500 km. More than 47.5 km of roads have a solid surface for cargo transport.

Use of Aviation for Cargo Delivery

Air cargo transport is the fastest but also the most expensive method of cargo shipping. Therefore, in Turkmenistan, air cargo transport is used limitedly, although the infrastructure for it has been created. The republic has 26 airports, 21 of which have a solid surface runway. 18 airports, based on runway length, can accommodate modern large aircraft. The main airfields of Turkmenistan are located in the cities:

• Abadan.
• Atamurat.
• Ashgabat.
• Balkanabad.
• Gaurdak.
• Dashoguz.
• Karabogaz.
• Mary. The city has 2 airports.
• Turkmenbashi.
• Turkmenabad.
• Turkmenkarakol.
• Khazare.
• Etrek. The city has 2 airports.
• Yangja.

Cargo Transport by Water

Turkmenistan has internal waterways that allow for cargo transport by vessels with a deadweight of up to 500 tons. They run along the Amu Darya River and the Karakum Canal. The length of internal shipping routes is 1300 km.

On the Caspian Sea, Turkmenistan has the port of Turkmenbashi, previously known as Krasnovodsk. This port facilitates cargo transport between Turkmenistan and the countries of the Caspian region.

Turkmen Railways

The length of Turkmen railways is 2980 km. All of them are equipped with tracks of 1520 mm gauge. This allows for the transport of goods between Turkmenistan and any country that was previously part of the USSR without transshipment of goods en route.

Export Goods of Turkmenistan

In terms of export volume, in monetary terms, the main goods exported by Turkmenistan are: natural gas, petroleum products, cotton fabric, raw cotton, and crude oil.