BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 2. Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan plan to establish a joint intermodal cargo terminal and a new trans-Caspian ferry system called the "Caspian Bridge".
According to Samruk-Kazyna, Kazakhstan’s sovereign wealth fund and state-owned investment holding company, a Term Sheet was signed between Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) National Company JSC and Azerbaijan Railways CJSC, outlining the main terms for the establishment of an intermodal cargo terminal and a joint venture.
The project aims to develop container and other freight transportation, with a priority focus on the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR).
The agreement was signed following a meeting between Samruk-Kazyna Chairman of the Management Board Nurlan Zhakupov and representatives of Azerbaijan's state-owned holding company AZCON.
Another agreement was also signed, providing for cooperation between Samruk-Kazyna JSC and AZCON Holding on the establishment of a new trans-Caspian ferry system, the "Caspian Bridge." The document outlines the main principles and areas of cooperation between the parties in preparing and implementing the project.
During the meeting, the parties discussed prospects for expanding investment and business cooperation between Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, as well as the implementation of joint projects.
On October 15, during Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's working visit to Baku to attend the Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), a document exchange ceremony was held for a project to build two multipurpose dry cargo vessels for KTZ Express Shipping LLP, a subsidiary of KTZ.
The vessels will be built at the Baku Shipyard. The new dry cargo vessels are expected to operate on the TITR.
On October 1, 2026, Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Railway and Water Transport of Kazakhstan's Ministry of Transport Kassym Tlepov said at a World Bank Group event that Kazakhstan expects to receive eight vessels for container transportation by 2028. Four of them will be built at the Baku Shipyard, while the remaining four will be constructed in China.
