‘Decision to build the shipyard has already paid off’
Baku, January 12, AZERTAC
“Work is under way in respect of the Caspian Shipping Company. Reforms are carried out and new ships purchased. Most importantly, the shipyard in Azerbaijan already produces ships,” said President Ilham Aliyev at a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers dedicated to the results of socioeconomic development in 2014 and objectives for 2015.
The head of state noted: “Orders have been placed for oil and gas operations. Ships will be built for military purposes. At the same time, all other vessels such as tankers and cargo ships will be produced in Baku. This is also a result of our industrialization policy. The decision to build the shipyard has already paid off. We could see that all the ships - tankers, cargo ships, supply vessels - were purchased abroad. But we have internal needs. We need to expand our fleet. At the same time, we are implementing and will continue to implement major oil and gas operations. Due to the "Shah Deniz" field there is a need for new ships. Therefore, the construction of a shipyard in such a short time has been an important step. This plant can provide services to all littoral states. During conversations with my colleagues at the Caspian summit, I said: Such a plant is already available, and you can also use it and place orders. Generally, we can work even more closely in this direction in the Caspian Sea basin. If, for example, Baku has such a modern plant, I do not believe that the construction of such a plant may be required elsewhere. So there should be proper cooperation here. And Azerbaijan is speaking its word.”
