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FREIGHT volume from China through and to Kazakhstan along the old Silk Road is expected to rise to 25 million tonnes in 2009 from 12 million tonnes in 2006 following the US$1 billion investment in a new railway line, Erlan Dikhanbayev, managing director of Soyuztranslink (STL) told a Hong Kong press conference on May 4.
"The value of this trade turnover between China and Kazakhstan is forecast to grow to US$30 billion by 2010 and demand for efficient freight forwarding services will increase exponentially," said Mr Dikhanbayev, whose company plans to list in New York in the next two years.
"Some 35 per cent of China's freight transits through Kazakhstan en route to Russia and it is critical that freight is managed and tracked from the border to its destination," STL business development director Elena Yusupova told the media.
STL, the official freight forwarder of the Kazakhstan Railways and Kazakhstan agent for Russian Railways, is a privately held company providing road and rail transport, customs clearance, intermodal service and airfreight from all major industrial areas of China logistics and freight forwarding in the CIS and Central Asia.
"Central Asia and Russia are rich in natural resources such as oil, gas and minerals and has modern heavy industries such as steel plants. As the economies grow in the region, demand for imported goods and materials are increasing as well," said Mr Dikhanbayev.
Henrik Christensen, CEO of Corporate Capital Consultants, will handle STL's financial affairs in Hong Kong. |
