Shipping company CLdN announced the launch of a new weekly LoLo container service between the Rotterdam Distriport terminal and the port of Leixões (Porto), Portugal. This decision is in response to growing customer demand and aims to expand the company’s presence on the Atlantic route. The new service will complement the existing two weekly round-trip RoRo services between Rotterdam/Zeebrugge and Leixões.
Kazakhstan is developing a large-scale infrastructure project that is expected to significantly enhance the transit potential of the Middle Corridor. Asset Tuyakbayev, Director of the Project Department of JSC NC KAZAKH INVEST, held a working meeting with the management of the Chinese company Guoyou Materials Group, during which the parties discussed the prospects for the construction of the multifunctional Kuryk port complex on the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea. The project is seen as a key element in the formation of a sustainable multimodal chain along the China-Caspian-Caucasus-Europe route.
According to the Vehicles on European Roads report, the EU road freight market continues to grow quantitatively, but does not meet Brussels’ climate and regulatory targets. By the end of 2024, there were 6.2 million medium and heavy trucks on EU roads, an increase of 0.9% compared to the previous year. Almost half of the total fleet is concentrated in Italy, Germany, and Poland, making these countries key for European road transport. However, the main issue remains not the number of vehicles, but their age and composition.
The Hamburg Port Authority, together with the Fraunhofer Center for Maritime Logistics and Services and Kongsberg Maritime Germany GmbH, officially launched the iPORTUS research project, aimed at digitalizing and automating port operations. The project envisions the secure integration of semi-autonomous and remotely controlled low-emission ASVs into complex port environments. iPORTUS is being implemented with funding from the German Federal Ministry of Transport, with approximately €1.7 million under the IHATEC II program.
Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev heard a report from Talgat Aldybergenov, Chairman of the Board of JSC NC KTZ, on the national railway company’s performance in 2025. During the meeting, it was noted that tariff freight turnover increased by 10% to 289 billion tonne-kilometers, while total freight volume increased by 5.5% to 320 million tonnes. Export freight exceeded 89 million tonnes, while transit freight increased by more than 20% to 33 million tonnes, confirming Kazakhstan’s growing role as a key transit hub.
The world’s largest container port, Shanghai, handled over 55 million TEUs by the end of the year, confirming its status as a global industry leader. Year-over-year container throughput growth was 6.9%, 2 percentage points higher than the market average; according to CTS, the market average growth for the first 11 months was estimated at 5%.
A working meeting was held in Astana between Talgat Aldybergenov, Chairman of the Board of JSC NC KTZ, and Armen Gevondyan, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia. The parties discussed the current state and prospects of bilateral cooperation in transport and logistics, as well as opportunities for expanding cooperation between Kazakhstan and Armenia.
A consortium comprising Spanish Ership, German shipping line Aug. Bolten, and Swiss Nova Marine acquired a stake in VCK Port Logistics, acquiring shares from VCK Group. VCK Group announced the deal on January 9. The new partnership also includes Verenigd Cargadoorskantoor and Waterland Terminal. All companies will operate under the management of the Dutch holding company Maja Stuwadoorsgroep, in which Ership and Aug. Bolten/Nova Marine already acquired stakes in February 2025.
By the end of 2025, Ukrainian seaports had fulfilled over 95% of their cargo transshipment plan, handling 82.2 million tons. This was announced by Oleksiy Kuleba, Deputy Prime Minister for Reconstruction of Ukraine and Minister of Communities and Territories Development, who emphasized the port industry’s resilience amid the ongoing war.
In 2025, freight traffic through the Altynkol-Khorgos railway border crossing between Kazakhstan and China exceeded 16.1 million tons, 9% higher than the target agreed upon within the Organization for Cooperation between Railways. This was reported by the press service of JSC NC Kazakhstan Temir Zholy, noting the early and confident fulfillment of planned parameters.
