The volume of cargo transshipment at the Aktau port in Kazakhstan grew by 23% to over two million tonnes this year.
Located on the northeastern shore of the Caspian Sea, the Aktau port, with three dry cargo and three oil terminals, holds utmost international importance in the system of distant cargo transportation. With a total throughput capacity of nearly 12 million tonnes, the Aktau port mainly exports grain and petroleum products.
Author’s quote
Kairat Kaliolla, chief manager of the logistics department of the Aktau Commercial Sea Port, said: "Oil is exported from the port of Aktau in the direction of the port of Makhachkala in Russia, as well as petroleum products in the direction of Azerbaijan. In addition to oil, we export grain to Iran. Based on the figures for the first half of 2023, the total transshipment volume amounted to over 2.2 million tonnes.”
Kazakhstan has become an international transport corridor hub through the Aktau port, which accounts for 40% of the total transportation traffic on the Caspian Sea.
Port of Aktau
Seaport’s growth driven by container transport, whose volume is to reach 35,000 this year
The seaport’s development will be driven by container transportation, whose volume is planned to reach 35,000 this year. The port of Aktau also plans to create a container hub in two years that will significantly increase the cargo flow along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR).
Meanwhile, the port of Kuryk, located on the east coast of the Caspian Sea and capable of receiving road and train ferries year-round, anticipates the completion of the construction of a grain terminal, which will store and export wheat varieties in large volumes. According to Serik Akhmetov, the General Director of the Kuryk Port, the grain terminal with an additional million tonnes capacity is scheduled to be launched in September-October this year.
Cargo transportation
Due to the geopolitical situation in the region, cargo transportation through the Kuryk port this year doubled to over 550,000 tonnes. While the Aktau port is working at near total capacity, Kuryk intends to expand and introduce the latest technologies in marine transportation.
Earlier this year, the ports of Aktau and Kuryk were incorporated into the Seaport Aktau Special Economic Zone (SEZ) following a presidential decree to increase Kazakhstan’s transport and logistics potential.