Port-to-Port Exchange Project: Caspian Corridor

A. General Information

1. Title

2. Status of the project

Pilot

3. Implementation period of the project/service:

From

Nov-2023

Nov-2027

4. Website

https://unece.org/speca

5. Geographical coverage

Regional: Asia and the Pacific

Participating countries: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan

Hub Point: Azerbaijan

6. Participating agencies/entities of the project/service:

a. Development stage

Lead agencies/entities

- United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
- United Nations Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA)

Other participating agencies/entities

- Permanent Secretariat of TRACECA
- GIZ (German Agency for International Cooperation)
- OSCE
- UNESCAP

b. Operational stage

Lead agencies/entities (op)

- Baku International Sea Trade Port (Port of Alat), Azerbaijan
- Aktau Sea Trade Port, Kazakhstan
- Turkmenbashi International Seaport, Turkmenistan

Other participating agencies/entities (op)

- Agency "Turkmendenizderyayollary"
- Azerbaijan Railways (ADY)
- KTZ Express
- SOLVO
- DBA Group

7. Main stakeholders/beneficiaries of the project

Traders (big enterprises)

Traders (SMEs)

Transport

Customs brokers

Customs

Other Government Agencies (OGAs)

Port operators, Freight forwarders, Shipping lines, Railway operators

8. Business process category of the project

Forwarding and cargo handling

Transport

Regulatory/official control

B. Lessons Learned

9. Summary description of the project/service

Brief Summary

Digital data exchange initiative between Caspian Sea ports (Baku, Aktau, Turkmenbashi) to harmonize container movement and logistics information using UN/CEFACT standards and Multimodal Transport Reference Data Model.

a. Objective(s)

Create a harmonized system for seamless electronic data exchange among Caspian ports, align data exchange to UN/CEFACT standards, reduce economic costs, enable interoperability across transport modes and sectors, and enhance transport efficiency along the Trans-Caspian corridor by 2027.

b. Business need for the project (background)

Total cargo via the Trans-Caspian Corridor increased 86% in 2023, reaching 2.8 million tons. Fragmentation of digitalization projects, different national legal regimes, and varying syntaxes created inefficiencies. A unified semantic foundation is needed for cross-border, multimodal, and cross-sectoral interoperability.

c. Business process covered*

- Container movement data exchange between ports
- Vessel arrival and dispatch coordination
- Cargo information transmission
- Preliminary planning for container storage and vessel loading
- Managing ship order at roadstead and loading operations

d. Overall architecture and functionalities*

Decentralized model where each country retains control and shares only standardized, structured information directly with partners. Uses Solvo.TOS Terminal Operating System with API module (EDI for receiving and transforming data, Notifier for preparing messages). Information exchange follows messenger-like dialogue between port automation systems, converting paper processes to electronic format with structured data transmission.

e. Relevant document/figure

10. Documents and data exchanged via the project

- Container movement data (vessel characteristics, containers, general cargo, Ro-Ro cargo)
- Passenger information for ferries
- Vessel arrival schedules and dispatch coordination
- Cargo manifests

11. Data models/databases, proprietary solutions, hybrid approaches

UN/CEFACT Multimodal Transport Reference Data Model (MMT RDM) as semantic foundation. Solvo.TOS with Solvo.API module (EDI and Notifier components) for data transformation and transmission.

12. Main challenges faced during the project

- Fragmentation of digitalization projects across countries
- Different national and modal legal regimes
- Different syntaxes and data formats
- Need for capacity-building for local experts to use UN/CEFACT standards
- Coordination between multiple stakeholders across three countries

13. Lessons learned from the project

- Using international standards (UN/CEFACT) as common semantic foundation enables cross-border interoperability
- Decentralized model allows each country to retain control while sharing standardized information
- Capacity-building through "learning-by-doing" approach during pilot implementation is effective
- Port Community Information Services can serve as hubs for multimodal electronic data exchange

14. Main benefit(s) of the project

Transaction Time savings

Simplified process

14A. Elaborations/detailed description on benefits gained

15. Technical/financial/capacity building/other assistance

- UNECE: Capacity-building seminars in Turkmenistan (2024) and Kazakhstan (Aktau, June 2024)
- GIZ: Technical support and cooperation
- TRACECA: Pilot project support for electronic CIM/SMGS railway consignment note
- OSCE: Support for unified data transmission system creation
- SPECA Multi-Partner Trust Fund established for implementation support

16. Future plan for expansion of the project

- Expand to include other ports along Trans-Caspian Corridor: Kuryk, Poti, Batumi, Odessa, Constanta, Varna, Burgas, Istanbul
- Include vehicles, rail wagons, and mixed cargo shipments beyond containers
- Full electronic data exchange on multimodal bill of lading by 2026
- Rail data exchange based on eCIM/SMGS and SMGS in electronic form by 2027
- Potential expansion to include Iranian ports

17. Other information or relevant references on the project

- Roadmap adopted at first SPECA Summit in Baku on November 24, 2023 (Baku Declaration)
- Part of broader Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR/Middle Corridor)
- Baku-Aktau data exchange operational; Baku-Turkmenbashi agreement in place
- Project idea proposed October 2020, first phase implemented in 2021

18. Relevant document regarding the project

roadmap-digitalization-trans-caspiancorridor_eng.pdf

C. Relevant Standards

19. Name(s) of any international, national legal instrument underpinning the project

- Baku Declaration (SPECA Summit, November 24, 2023)
- UN/CEFACT standards and recommendations
- TIR Convention (for eTIR international system)
- CMR Convention (for eCMR)
- CIM/SMGS railway consignment note conventions

20. Electronic message standard

20A. Electronic message standard supporting the project

EDI:

- UNEDIFACT

20B. Type of standard for electronic message applied for the project

International standard

21. Technical communication standard

21A. Technical communication standard supporting the project

HTTP, API-based communication (Solvo.API with EDI and Notifier modules)

21B. Type of technical communication standard applied for the project

International standard

Industry-specific standard

22. Security-related standards*

22A. Security-related standard supporting the project

22B. Type of security-related standard applied for the project

23. Other Technical Information

23A. Interface developed for data exchange with an internal system

Solvo.API module with two components: EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) for receiving and transforming data from external information systems, and Notifier for preparing messages in required format for external information systems when certain events occur.

23B. Other technical implementation information

- UN/CEFACT Multimodal Transport Reference Data Model (MMT RDM) serves as semantic foundation
- System converts paper document exchange processes to electronic format with structured data
- Testing underway for electronic data exchange with KTZ Express for preliminary planning

Last Update: 2 December 2025