Editing Transport in Turkmenistan (section)

== Major ports and harbours ==
{{Main|Ports and harbours in Turkmenistan}}

Turkmenistan's largest seaport by far is [[Turkmenbashi International Seaport|Turkmenbashy International Seaport]].  The port was opened in October 1896. The Merchant Seaport Authority was founded in 1903. The port was substantially reconstructed between 2000 and 2003.<ref name=port1>{{cite web|url=https://port.com.tm/en/history/|title=History of Port / Sea port in the years of 1800-2000|publisher=Turkmenbashi International Seaport}}</ref> Passenger ferry service to the port of [[Baku]], [[Azerbaijan]] as well as rail ferries to other ports on the [[Caspian Sea]] (Baku, [[Aktau]]) began in 1962. In recent years tanker transport of oil to the ports of Baku and Makhachkala has increased.

In May 2018 construction was completed of a major expansion of the Turkmenbashy seaport.<ref name="Turkmenistan Transportation">{{cite web |title=Turkmenistan - Country Commercial Guide |url=https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/turkmenistan-transportation |website=International Trade Administration |access-date=15 October 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://portnews.ru/news/65119/ |title=Порт Туркменбаши будет полностью реконструирован |date=16 May 2011 |publisher=Portnews.ru |access-date=25 November 2013}}</ref> Cost of the project was $1.5 billion. The general contractor for the project was Gap Inşaat, a subsidiary of [[Çalık Holding]] of Turkey. The expansion added 17 million tons of annual capacity, making total throughput including previously existing facilities of over 25 million tons per year. The international ferry and passenger terminals can serve 300,000 passengers and 75,000 vehicles per year, and the container terminal is designed to handle 400,000 TEU (20-foot container equivalent) per year.<ref name=enr>{{cite news|url=https://www.enr.com/articles/45265-global-best-project-airportport-turkmenbashi-international-seaport-project|title=Global Best Project, Airport/Port & Project of the Year Finalist: Turkmenbashi International Seaport Project|date=26 September 2018|first=Janice L.|last=Tuchman|publisher=Enineering News-Record, BNP Media}}</ref><ref name=press>{{cite web|url=https://www.calik.com/en/press-room/press-releases/most-important-pit-stop-on-the-silk-road-turkmenbashi-international-seaport|title=Most important pit-stop on the Silk Road: Turkmenbashi International Seaport|date=28 May 2018|publisher=Çalık Holding}}</ref><ref name=trend>{{cite news|url=https://en.trend.az/casia/turkmenistan/2896894.html|title=Turkish company completes seaport project in Turkmenbashi city|date=2 May 2018|publisher=Trend|first=Huseyn|last=Hasanov}}</ref>  Turkmenbashy International Seaport includes a shipyard.<ref name=press /> The port authority also oversees operations of the Kenar, [[Alaja, Turkmenistan|Alaja]], and [[Ekerem]] oil loading terminals.<ref name=oilloading>{{cite web|url=https://port.com.tm/en/oil-loading-terminals/|title=Oil loading terminals|publisher=Turkmenbashi International Seaport}}</ref>

Smaller industrial loading terminals are located at [[Hazar, Turkmenistan|Hazar]] (oil), Kiyanly ({{langx|tk|Gyýanly}}) (plastics), and [[Garabogaz]] (urea).

In 2006 Turkmenistan had eight merchant marine vessels of more than 1,000 tons displacement, of which four were cargo ships, two were oil tankers, one was for refrigerated cargo, and one was a combination ore and oil ship.<ref name=":12" />   As of 2019 the national maritime carrier, [[closed joint-stock company]] Marine Merchant Fleet, possessed 19 ships, including 4 dry cargo vessels, 7 oil tankers, 2 Ro-Pax ferries, 3 passenger-only ferries, 2 tugboats, and one yacht.<ref name=mmt>{{cite web|url=http://mmf.gov.tm/company/index.php|title=АКЦИОНЕРНОЕ ОБЩЕСТВО ЗАКРЫТОГО ТИПА "МОРСКОЙ ТОРГОВЫЙ ФЛОТ"|publisher=АОЗТ «Морской торговый флот»}}</ref>