Kazakhstan's sea and coastal cargo and baggage transportation volume reached 1.6mn tons in 1H24, reflecting a 2.1-fold increase y/y, according to EnergyProm. This surge has surpassed the annual transportation volumes recorded in the past five years, with only pre-2014 figures showing higher levels.
The cargo turnover for sea and coastal transport during this period also saw a notable increase, doubling to 966mn ton-kilometers. This marks the highest level of cargo turnover since 2020, indicating robust growth in Kazakhstan's maritime transport sector.
The expansion in sea and coastal cargo transportation can be attributed, in part, to the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), which facilitates connections between China and Europe through a combination of rail and sea routes. The ports of Kuryk and Aktau have been instrumental in supporting this route. Additionally, the development of a new container hub in Aktau seaport is expected to boost capacity, with projections to handle up to 300,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) by 2025.
Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has set a strategic objective to increase the annual cargo traffic along the TITR to 500,000 TEU by 2030, a substantial increase from 33,600 TEU handled in 2022.
In a global context, the Port of Shanghai led the world in cargo handling in 2023 with 49mn TEU, followed by the Port of Singapore at 39mn TEU. Other major players include Ningbo-Zhoushan, Shenzhen, and Qingdao in China, as well as South Korea’s Port of Busan and the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. These figures highlight the competitive nature of global maritime logistics and Kazakhstan’s growing role within it.
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