Central Asia

Kazakhstan has announced preparations for the construction of a new seaport in Aktau, costing approximately $300 million. Nurdaulet Kilibay, Akim of the Mangystau Region, announced that the project is being implemented at the direction of the country’s president and is aimed at developing transport infrastructure and strengthening the region’s transit potential. The Chinese group Zhongyun International is a strategic partner and has already registered a company in the region, preparing documents for signing an investment agreement.

A Kazakh delegation participated in the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor and Connectivity Investor Forum, which brought together EU Commissioners, representatives of leading European financial institutions, and transport ministers from countries along the Middle Corridor. A separate meeting of heads of transport agencies from Central Asia, the EU, the South Caucasus, and the Black Sea region was also held on the sidelines of the event.

The first phase of the container hub at the Port of Aktau, being built jointly with the Chinese company Port Lianyungang, will be completed by the end of 2025, Kazakhstan’s Minister of Transport Nurlan Sauranbayev announced at a government meeting. The project envisages increasing the hub’s capacity to 200,000 TEUs per year, while dredging and berth modernization are simultaneously underway at the port.

Hong Kong Maritime Week focused on developing rail links under the Belt and Road Initiative. Experts from China, Kazakhstan, and the OECD discussed the status and prospects of rail corridors, including routes to Małaszewicze in Poland. At the Asian Logistics, Maritime, and Aviation Conference panel, industry representatives noted that Central Asia is becoming an important hub, shaping future trade routes between East and West.

Container throughput between South America and China continues to grow at record rates: over the past two decades, exports from the region have grown from 200,000 TEU to over 1 million TEU, while imports have risen from under 500,000 TEU to over 3 million TEU. Total trade volume has approached 4.5 million TEU, reflecting deepening economic ties, fueled by growing Chinese direct investment and expanding sectoral cooperation.

SGP Container Terminals, part of the Saudi Global Ports group, announced two significant milestones in October 2025. The company handled its 15 millionth TEU since commencing commercial operations in 2015 and also recorded a record volume handled in a single vessel call – 23,947 TEUs on board the container vessel CSCL ARCTIC OCEAN. Another subsidiary, SGP Intermodal (formerly SGP Riyadh), reached the 4 million TEU mark handled since 2022.

Logistics company Uni-Laman Group has partnered with a warehouse complex at the Khorgos dry port, a key hub on the border between China and Kazakhstan. This allows the company to launch a new Middle Corridor transportation system, covering the route China – Khorgos – Azerbaijan – Georgia (with a ferry crossing across the Caspian Sea to Poti/Batumi) – Bulgaria (Burgas port), followed by truck delivery to Ukraine, Poland, Romania, and Hungary.

On 19 November, representatives from JadeWeserPort Wilhelmshaven and EUROGATE Intermodal (EGIM) met logistics professionals in Budapest during an industry event held under the title “Wilhelmshaven meets Budapest”. The session gathered stakeholders from Hungary’s freight sector to highlight current rail and maritime connections supporting China–Europe container flows.

During the Kazakh-Estonian Business Forum, attended by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Estonian President Alar Karis, KTZ Express signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Estonian logistics company AS SilSteve. The document was signed on behalf of the Kazakh side by Zhaksybek K.M., Deputy General Director for Operations.

Kazakhstan Railways (KTZ) held a meeting with a delegation from the Republic of Estonia, led by Minister of Infrastructure Kuldar Leis. The parties discussed cooperation in rail transportation and the further development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (Middle Corridor), which is becoming strategically important for freight transit through Kazakhstan.