On June 9, Kazakhstan officially launched the largest container hub on the Caspian Sea, situated within its Aktau port.
The project, spearheaded by Kazakhstan’s national railway company, Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), was implemented in collaboration with China’s Lianyungang port and the Aktau International Sea Trade Port. China Communications Construction Company, a prominent Chinese state corporation specializing in transport infrastructure, served as the general contractor.
During the opening ceremony, Nurlan Zhakupov, Chairman of the Board of the National Welfare Fund Samruk-Kazyna, highlighted the joint efforts of Samruk-Kazyna and KTZ in advancing Kazakhstan’s transit and transport potential, a key strategic objective for the nation. “Over the 10 years of KTZ’s partnership with the port of Lianyungang, the Kazakh-Chinese terminal in Lianyungang, the Khorgos Gateway Dry Port, and now the container hub in Aktau have been opened. This project is an important step in the development of transport and logistics in Kazakhstan,” he stated.
The newly inaugurated hub is expected to significantly accelerate the processing of containerized cargo, enhance transit capabilities, and reinforce Kazakhstan’s pivotal role as a strategic link on both the East-West and North-South transport routes.
The operational launch of the hub was marked by the arrival of the 100,000th container from China, transported via the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), a rapidly expanding trade corridor connecting China and Europe through Kazakhstan.
