Which major ports serve transportation across the Caspian Sea?

The Caspian Sea serves as a vital transportation corridor for the region, facilitating the movement of goods such as petroleum, grain, cotton, rice, wood, and sulfate. Several major ports are essential to this network, connecting the surrounding nations through shipping and ferry services.12

The most important ports serving the Caspian Sea include:

• Baku in Azerbaijan: A major seaport that handles significant cargo and maintains a direct rail-ferry link to Turkmenbashi.12
• Türkmenbashi in Turkmenistan: A key transshipment center and the terminus of the Central Asian Railway, connected to Baku by ferry.132
• Astrakhan and Makhachkala in Russia.1
• Bandar-e Anzalī in Iran.1
• Aqtaū in Kazakhstan.1

These ports are integrated into the regional economy not only through maritime shipping but also through rail infrastructure, which allows for the transport of railway stock directly between Baku and Türkmenbashi without the need for unloading.13