Moscow–Baku cruise: reality or utopia? An expert's opinion

Information recently appeared in the media that cruise service between Moscow and Baku is planned to be launched in the near future.

This was announced by Russia's trade representative in Azerbaijan, Adam Khakimov.

According to him, the journey will last an average of 14 days: seven days each way.

Khakimov noted that the vessel in question is a luxury-class liner. The project envisages state support: its construction, in particular, is subsidized by Russia's Ministry of Industry and Trade.

This news sparked a heated discussion online. Some users are genuinely delighted at the prospect of such a journey, while others are puzzled as to how a cruise liner could reach Moscow, arguing that this is technically impossible.

We, for our part, turned for comment to transport expert Rauf Agamirzoyev.

Rauf Agamirzoyev recalled that back in 2019 similar news had already appeared, stating that cruise ships on the Caspian–Black Sea route would pass through the Volga-Don Canal and then sail between Caspian littoral cities. Now a new piece of news has appeared — that a seven-day cruise liner will begin running between Moscow and Baku:

"There are several important points here. First, the problem of the shallowing of the Caspian Sea is felt most strongly on its northern shores, that is, off the Russian coast. Dredging work needs to be carried out there. Additional work will also be required on the Volga-Don Canal and at the mouth of the Volga. Second, since the northern part of the Caspian is shallower, those areas freeze over faster during the winter months. That is, if this project is implemented, it will be seasonal," the expert noted.

According to Rauf Agamirzoyev, the third and one of the most important issues concerns security. Over the past year, there have already been incidents involving drone attacks on vessels off the Russian coast:

"Therefore, I believe that these problems must find their solution, and only after that, perhaps, someday the project will be able to get going. But at the moment it does not look realistic," he emphasized.

R. Agamirzoyev also said that passenger transportation on the Caspian could well be developed along the east–west route, and this would become a serious alternative for people.

"That is, we have the option of flights to Kazakhstan, as well as cargo transportation by ferry; some vessels also provide for carrying passengers. But if there were direct service from the city center — for example, from the boulevard, from the maritime terminal — to Aktau, that would be good. Also, given weather risks, departure from within the city limits minimizes these risks. If any problems with the weather arise, in the city center there is always somewhere to spend the night — Baku and Aktau have hotels, hostels and other options," the expert explained.

"At present, cargo vessels mainly operate actively out of Alat, and it is located somewhat far from the city. That is, from the standpoint of tourism, this may not look so attractive," R. Agamirzoyev pointed out.

He noted that in the future Turkmenistan is also effectively building up its potential, but here the visa regime and other issues must find their solution. Since Turkmenistan has a major tourist site — slightly above the city of Turkmenbashi lies the Avaza resort — and we have our own boulevard and in the future a tourist destination may appear in Seabreeze, this can be considered for the longer term: such routes look more realistic.

"All of this can be viewed as various options for organizing transportation — both seasonal and dependent on daily weather. After all, the number of windy days on the Caspian is approximately 90 days a year. But this does not at all mean a complete paralysis of traffic on all these days: delays amount to several hours, after which service resumes. A complete stoppage occurs only on some days. That is, the schedule may change, but it will work. It is precisely the east–west route that I consider more realistic. As for cruise liners, here the problems I mentioned above must find their solution," the expert summed up.

It is obvious that the idea of water tourism between Russia and Azerbaijan arouses great interest, but its implementation is a matter for the distant future. In the meantime, the region's tourism sector has room to grow through the development of already existing, more pragmatic and accessible routes along the East–West line.