The Middle Corridor could become a key route for container transportation in the event of a closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
This was stated in a social media post by Ziya Mammadov, Deputy Head of the Marketing Department at the Marketing and Tariff Policy Department of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC.
“The Strait of Hormuz is a critical maritime bottleneck for global container trade. If it were to be closed, container supply chains between Asia and Europe could face delays and rising logistics costs.
In such a situation, the importance of alternative multimodal routes increases. One of these routes is the Middle Corridor, which connects China and Central Asia with Europe,” he noted.
It is emphasized that container transportation along this corridor typically includes:
— 4,256 km of railway across Central Asia;
— A maritime segment of about 508 km across the Caspian Sea;
— Railway transport through the South Caucasus to Türkiye and Europe.
“Key regional infrastructure, such as the Port of Baku, supports multimodal container flows across the Caspian region. The port currently has an annual cargo handling capacity of about 15 million tons.
A new phase of the port’s development is underway. After completion, its capacity is expected to reach 25 million tons per year, with the ability to handle up to 500,000 TEU containers annually,” the publication states.
It is also emphasized that although maritime transport will remain dominant in global container trade, potential disruptions at strategic chokepoints such as the Strait of Hormuz highlight the growing importance of diversified logistics routes. In this context, the Middle Corridor could gradually strengthen its role as an additional Eurasian route for container transportation.
It should be recalled that the Middle Corridor is a transport and trade route passing through several countries of the region and connecting Asia with Europe. It serves as an alternative to the traditional Northern and Southern corridors.
The route begins in China and passes through Central Asian countries. It then crosses the Caspian Sea and continues through Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye before reaching Europe.
The Middle Corridor is a land-based route that bypasses longer maritime pathways, linking eastern parts of Asia, including China, with Europe.
