Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are about to launch a new ferry system, and train operators of the two countries plan to form a joint venture and build a cargo terminal at the port of Alyat. Basically, we are talking about trying to find a way out of the impasse, where the Caspian Sea has remained the most problematic link for many years. Until now, the trans-cash route has been hampered by the sea side: fleet shortages, transit time delays and ongoing schedule disruptions. The new ferry system and the common terminal on the coast of Azerbaijan is an attempt to turn the problematic passage into a predictable and fast conveyor belt. The construction of the terminal in Alyyat gives Kazakhstan what it lacked in the past - to hold on to the infrastructure of the opposite bank. It is no longer just the transportation of goods on the one hand in the hope of someone else's efficiency, but direct participation in the focus in the Transcaucasus and a closer relationship with Baku, which is equally interested in closing the main trade flows between Asia and Europe. The Caspian Sea is gradually ceasing to be just a natural barrier. True, the success of this whole undertaking will ultimately rest on boring, but crucial things: real deadlines for renewing the fleet, agreed end-to-end tariffs and the speed of customs work. But the route update course has already been taken.