ASTANA, Kazakhstan, March 27. Kazakhstan aims to start construction of a container hub in the port of Aktau in the near future as part of the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR, or Middle Corridor), said Deputy Minister of Transport of Kazakhstan Maksat Kaliakparov, Trend reports.
He made the remark during the exporters forum and the trade and economic cooperation conference themed 'China (Sichuan)-Kazakhstan 2024'.
"It is planned to begin construction of a container hub in the port of Aktau in the near future, increasing its throughput capacity to 300,000 TEUs per year. At the same time, the port's transshipment equipment will undergo modernization," he said.
According to him, in the port of Kuryk, the implementation of the SARZHA multifunctional terminal project with a total capacity of about 9.4 million tons is progressing. In addition, a Kazakh logistics terminal has been built in the Chinese Dry Port of Xi'an, which will ensure the consolidation of cargo for shipment by container traffic in the direction of Europe.
"The railway administrations of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Georgia have created a joint venture, Middle Corridor Multimodal Ltd., within which logistics services will be established on the "single window" principle, ensuring the stability of transportation along the Middle Corridor," he said.
Kaliakparov stated that all of the aforementioned initiatives help to develop logistics routes between China and Europe, as well as boost transport links between China and Kazakhstan.
The Middle Corridor is a transportation and trade route that connects Asia and Europe, passing through several countries in the region. It is an alternative route to the traditional Northern Corridor and Southern Corridor.
The route starts in China and crosses Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. It then passes through the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye before reaching Europe.
The Middle Corridor offers a land route that connects the eastern parts of Asia, including China, with Europe, bypassing the longer maritime routes.
