Heavy haulage to Azerbaijan: the hub on the Caspian Sea
Azerbaijan matters twice over in project logistics: as a target market for energy, oil and gas and infrastructure projects around Baku – and as the hub of the Middle Corridor towards Central Asia. Oversize Transports, a brand of HSNK s.r.o., plans and runs heavy haulage and abnormal load transports of up to 200 tonnes from Europe to Baku, Ganja, Sumqayıt and project sites across the country – including permits, customs and loading coordination in the port.
Scope of services for Azerbaijani projects
- Feasibility study of the entire route covering bridge load ratings, clearance heights and mountain passes in the Caucasus
- Permit management: German road traffic regulations (StVO §29) plus the equivalents in transit countries and in Azerbaijan
- Low-loaders, semi low-bed trailers and modular trailers matched to the weight and centre of gravity of the load
- BF3 / BF4 escort vehicles (German escort classification) on the EU leg, escorting under national law across the Caucasus
- Customs and transit handling with T1, TIR carnet and ATA carnet
- Crane and loading coordination, including transhipment at the port of Baku/Alat towards the Caspian Sea
How it works: from feasibility study to delivery
We start with a technical review of your load against the actual route – including critical points such as town centres, roundabouts and bridges. You then receive a fixed-price quote; once the order is placed, we apply for all permits along the route, arrange escort vehicles and coordinate loading and unloading with your sites. A dedicated project manager accompanies the transport throughout, available 24/7. You receive a status report at every border crossing and at the ferry transhipment, so the delivery point, crane and installation team can time the arrival reliably.
Route and transit: the overland route via Turkey and Georgia
The standard route runs through Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria into Turkey, into Georgia at Sarpi and across the Red Bridge border crossing (Tsiteli Khidi) into Azerbaijan. This southern route is also the road arm of the Middle Corridor: cargo bound for Central Asia is transhipped at the ferry port of Alat near Baku onto Caspian ferries towards Aktau/Kuryk or Turkmenbashi. For oversize loads we additionally examine the Black Sea option with a ferry to Poti/Batumi and road transport from the port. On the Georgian and Azerbaijani side we check mountain passes, town centres and bridges against the axle loads and overall height of your package in advance.
Customs in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan is neither an EU nor an EAEU member and handles imports under its own customs law. For transit we use T1 up to the EU external border and a TIR carnet across Turkey and Georgia through to the customs office of destination; for temporary admission – construction equipment or exhibition items, for example – the ATA carnet is an option. What matters is complete, consistent documentation (commercial invoice, packing list, technical description of the load), which we check before departure so that border and port clearance run without waiting times.
Sanctions: Middle Corridor instead of the northern route
We run Azerbaijani traffic entirely via the sanction-free route through Turkey and Georgia. The northern route through Russia is not an option for many goods because of EU sanctions against Russia and Belarus. For sensitive goods the rule is: export control is legally the exporter's responsibility – we review the route and procedure side for each shipment and supply the clean documentation to go with it.
Typical projects
Frequent loads include components for the oil and gas industry, power plant and substation equipment, construction machinery, crane sections and plant modules. For the industrial zones around Sumqayıt and Baku we can also coordinate unloading with a mobile crane and setting down at the foundation edge – one point of contact for the entire process. We first quote costs as a non-binding indicative range – depending on route, weight and permit situation – and, after the feasibility study, as a binding fixed price.