Russia plans to develop cruise routes with Azerbaijan

Russia's Transport Ministry plans to modernise the port infrastructure of Makhachkala and Derbent to develop international cruise routes connecting Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan.

"It is necessary to modernise and expand the port infrastructure to accommodate cruise ships at the ports of Makhachkala and Derbent. There is also potential for developing international routes — with Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan. To achieve this, border crossing points must be established at the ports, and intergovernmental agreements must be signed," the ministry stated, Caliber.Az reports, citing local media.

A new cruise ship will begin operating in the Caspian Sea as early as next year. A combined route will connect the seaports of Makhachkala and Astrakhan with the river ports of Rostov-on-Don and Volgograd. This integrated cruise will open up new opportunities for boosting tourist traffic in the Caspian region and stimulate growth in cruise tourism along the lower Volga.

Moreover, three "river-sea" class cruise liners of the "Karelia" project, currently under construction at a plant in Nizhny Novgorod, are planned to be put into operation in 2025-2026.

"The vessels will be used on combined routes across inland waterways and in the Caspian, Black, Azov, and White Seas," the report states.

By Naila Huseynova