Kazakhstan and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) are stepping up cooperation in the transport sector by discussing public-private partnership projects. At a meeting with Vice Minister of Transport Talgat Lastayev, representatives of IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, discussed joint initiatives in the railway and aviation sectors.
DHL Express is increasing investment in transport and sorting capacity ahead of the year-end peak season, expecting demand for express services to increase. The company is investing more than €100 million in the fourth quarter to support its customers’ growth, and is also expanding its fleet with eight new Boeing 777 freighters. Global e-commerce is expected to grow by 8.8% in 2024, remaining a key driver of volume, while B2B shipments are gradually recovering.
A meeting was held in Baku between the Secretary General of the Permanent Secretariat of the TRACECA Intergovernmental Commission Asset Assavbayev and the new National Secretary of TRACECA in Azerbaijan Fariz Aliyev. The main focus was on Azerbaijan’s participation in ongoing TRACECA projects and prospects for cooperation in the development of the Europe-Caucasus-Asia international transport corridor.
The CHERISH2O (CHEmical industry water Reuse In a Sustainable Harbour) project has been launched in the Port of Antwerp. The Port of Antwerp-Bruges, VITO, essenscia, VMM and Antea Group are working with 12 companies, including Ashland, BASF, Bayer, ExxonMobil and TotalEnergies, to explore the possibility of large-scale wastewater treatment for reuse in production. This will help reduce water consumption and mitigate the risk of water shortages in drought conditions.
President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev expressed hope for Germany’s support in connecting the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route to the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) and the Global Gateway strategy. He said this at a meeting of the heads of state of Central Asia and Germany.
In February 2025, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd will launch an operational collaboration called Gemini Cooperation, aimed at creating a flexible and interconnected maritime network with a high schedule reliability of over 90%. The joint network will cover East-West shipping and will be a significant step in the long-term cooperation between the two companies announced in January 2024.
President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev took part in a meeting of the heads of Central Asian states with the Federal Chancellor of Germany, where he presented his vision of key areas of cooperation. Tokayev named the development of industrial cooperation and increasing the supply of critical materials to Germany as one of the priorities.
The 200th container train along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) arrived in Aktau. It departed from the Kazakhstan-China terminal in Xi’an and was heading to Azerbaijan. This route has become an important part of the logistics chain between China and Europe.
Transportation and logistics company HMM plans to invest more than $17.5 billion in its business development by 2030. About $8.1 billion will be spent on maintaining the existing container fleet of 130 vessels with a total capacity of 1.55 million TEU. The company also plans to acquire about 70 eco-friendly vessels to meet the growing demand for “green” transportation.
In August, when the Rhine Valley Railway was completely closed, the diesel shuttles on the left bank of the Rhine showed their best side. Around 20 freight trains per day travelled the route through Alsace thanks to an initiative organised using diesel locomotives on the non-electrified line Wörth-Lauterbourg-Strasbourg-Offenburg. This highlights the need to expand the tracks on the left bank of the Rhine in France to ensure the stability of combined transport on the north-south axis.
