silk-road
VIKING ROUTE
The container transit project "Viking" is initially planned to involve only Eastern and Central European countries, namely: Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, and Bulgaria. Cargo was served by the ports of Klaipeda, Odesa and Chernomorsk (until 2016, Ilochovsky, located in Ukraine). In 2015-2016, Georgia and Azerbaijan joined their ranks. This expansion created a new route for transporting goods from the Caspian Sea basin to the Scandinavian countries.
The idea of a new transport route was born in 1999, and the first Viking train entered the line on February 6, 2003. Cargoes are transported to ports by rail and then distributed by ships. The train takes 54 hours to cover 1734 km from Klaipeda to Chernomorsk port.
On March 15, 2011, the Georgian side signed the Protocol of Accession to the Multilateral Agreement on Freight Transportation to the Baltic and Black Seas, which entered into force 1 year later. In April 2015, Georgia became a full member of the "Viking" project.
The potential for increasing transit cargo deliveries to European countries via the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea route is indeed significant, but the realization of this potential is hindered by the Russia-Ukraine war. The inadequacy of the port and transit infrastructure of Georgia also appears to be an important hindering factor.
In practice, the project connects the Baltic Sea with the Black Sea by rail. The intermodal train "Viking" means economical and fast delivery of cargo on the route: Klaipeda - Minsk - Ilyichevsky and back.
One of the foundations for the development of the Viking train route is the Vilnius Intermodal Logistics Center, which provides intermodal services.
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