Rhenus Logistics becomes terminal operator in Uzbekistan after new deal
Germany-based Rhenus Logistics and Uzbekistan Railways enter a new era of cooperation. An official agreement between the two parties foresees the establishment of two joint ventures. The joint ventures will operate intermodal terminals in the Central Asian country and implement their expansion plans. Additionally, they will seek ways to increase capacity and domestic rail freight volumes in Uzbekistan.
To be more precise, the agreement, in the form of an MoU, was signed between Rhenus and Uztemiryulkonteyner, a subsidiary of Uzbekistan Railways. The documents were signed in the presence of the Uzbek transport minister Ilhom Mahkamov, who gave his blessings to the new partnership since it will assist his country to become more logistically relevant.
According to the agreement, the joint ventures to be established by Rhenus and Uztemiryulkonteyner will operate the intermodal terminals in Andijan and Samarkand. Most importantly, they will design and undertake their expansion to meet international standards and increased capacity demands that the new partnership could possibly produce.
“In the years ahead, we expect growing demand for the transportation of containerised goods and commodities that we connect with Europe’s transport networks along the Middle Corridor,” commented Tobias Bartz, CEO and Chairman of the Rhenus Group. His colleague Heinrich Kerstgens, head of the project, added that “investing in transhipment capacity in the economically emerging regions of Ferghana Valley and Samarkand will allow Rhenus Logistics and its partners to pursue further long-term transport projects.”
After Kazakhstan comes Uzbekistan
This is the second expansion step of Rhenus Logistics in the Central Asian market. Last June, the company partnered up with Kazakhstan Railways (KTZ) in a move that followed the same logic. Their partnership targets the development of the Middle Corridor by developing transhipment facilities in the Caspian Sea ports of Aktau and Kuryk, logistic centres in the wider Caspian region, and a container hub in Aktau.
