Firts US shipment from Afghanistan reaches Klaipėda port

According to the press release, a total of 76 containers have arrived in Klaipėda and will now be shipped to the United States by sea.

"Taking advantage of its unique geopolitical situation among countries of the European Union (EU) and Eastern Neighborhood, Lithuania cooperated intensively with the US administration and transport and logistics partners to develop new multimodal ISAF cargo haulage schemes. They use the capacities of Lithuania's infrastructure and the potential of carriers. Given the circumstances, Lithuania was authorized to ship US ISAF cargo by transit via the Klaipėda port," reads the press release.

By hauling the cargo to and from Afghanistan, Lithuania participates in the so-called Northern Support Route that also includes Russia and countries in Central Asia. The road grew even more important after termination of haulage of NATO cargo via Pakistan.

"After NATO member-states withdraw forces from Afghanistan in 2014, Lithuania will have secured a place in international corridors in the direction of Asia. They will help in commercial and development cooperation projects in Asia of other countries," the ministry noted.

Lithuania expects that part of the transit cargo resulting from NATO's withdrawal from Afghanistan will be shipped via Klaipėda. In the end of April, Transport and Communications Minister Eligijus Masiulis told BNS that routes of the so-called NATO return transit were yet to be finalized. He noted that Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian ports were competing for NATO cargo in the Baltic Sea region.

More than 2,000 containers with various cargo has been shipped via Lithuania to Afghanistan so far, mainly from the United States.