In recent years, trade routes between Asia and Europe have experienced various disruptions to the transit of goods, including port closures and COVID-related congestion. However, it is the European sanctions imposed on Russia following the war in Ukraine that have rendered the New Eurasian Land Bridge (NELB), or ‘Northern Corridor,’ a politically constrained route. On the other hand, the conflictual situation in the Middle East and the threat posed by Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have made the Southern Corridor through the Suez Canal more insecure and cumbersome. As a result, vessels travelling between China and Europe are now forced to reroute around Africa, adding over 10 days to transit times and increasing shipping costs by roughly two and a half times. Consequently, freight shippers urgently need a viable alternative for moving their cargo safely and economically.
The Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor (TCTC) exemplifies such a solution. This multimodal corridor positions the Caspian Sea at the heart of trans-continental connectivity, linking major economic centres across China, Central Asia, and the Greater Caspian Region through an integrated network of rail, road, and maritime connections, ultimately allowing goods to reach the EU in as little as 15 days via the Black Sea or Türkiye. The Corridor’s strategic advantages are already reflected in the rapid growth of cargo: shipments have increased sixfold over the past five years, from 800,000 tonnes in 2020 to 4.5 mt (million tonnes) in 2024, while container transport jumped 170%, to 56,500 TEUs (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit) last year. Of these, 35,600 TEUs were shipped westward from China to Europe, representing a 27-fold increase year-on-year. In the first half of 2025, shipments reached 2.3 mt—a 7% increase compared to the same period last year. By the end of the year, volumes are expected to increase to 5.2 mt, of which 4.2 mt will transit along the Corridor. Of this total, 2.5 mt will be dry cargo (96,000 TEU) and 1.7 mt will be oil.
Author: Luca Urciuolo, EIAS Senior Research Fellow
Photo Credits: Wikimedia Commons
.jpg){kind=link}