The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will prepare a new report on ports, shipping, and logistics in the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) region. This was announced by Adrian Sammons, ADB Senior Transport Specialist (Maritime Transport and Ports), during the 5th International Forum on Freight Transportation in the Black and Caspian Regions – 2026, held in Baku.
According to him, there is a difference between a project that is strategically desirable and one that is truly investment-ready. “First, demand must be demonstrated. Freight flow forecasts must be realistic and supported by market data. Infrastructure must respond to actual trade flows, not just assumed figures,” he said.
Sammons noted that the project must also address critical issues in the transport corridor, particularly eliminating identified bottlenecks. “The greatest value often lies in removing constraints such as inefficient border crossings, capacity limitations of railways, highways, or ports, weak intermodal connections, or underdeveloped digital systems,” he said.
According to him, another important component is the institutional environment: “Investors look for transparent governance, predictable regulation, efficient customs procedures, and clear allocation of responsibilities among agencies.”
He also emphasized the need for economic justification of projects and their readiness for implementation: “This means demonstrating measurable benefits for trade connectivity, as well as having environmental permits, project documentation, procurement mechanisms, and institutional capacity.” ADB is expanding its focus on ports, shipping, and multimodal logistics under a new initiative to enhance climate resilience of ports, logistics, and shipping connectivity in the CAREC region.
According to him, ADB will prepare a new report on ports, shipping, and logistics in the CAREC region. “The new report will help identify future investments in ports, decarbonization of shipping, digitalization, and sustainable trade corridors in the Caspian, Black Sea, and broader CAREC region,” he said.
Sammons added that ADB has long been a partner of Central Asian countries in financing and advising on major transport, energy, water, and trade projects, including roads, railways, logistics facilities, improvement of border crossings, and development of regional economic corridors under the CAREC program.
“Financing will follow well-prepared projects, not just good ideas. A project becomes investment-ready when it addresses real problems, creates measurable benefits, and can be successfully implemented,” he said.
