Kazakhstan has launched an ambitious dredging operation at its strategic Aktau port on the Caspian Sea, aiming to strengthen a vital link in the growing Trans-Caspian International Transport Route.
The Ministry of Transport announced that specialized equipment from European dredging firm Jan De Nul has arrived to deepen the harbor by up to 2 meters. The mobilization phase will conclude this month, with the entire project expected to be completed by late 2025.
According to Times of Central Asia, this infrastructure investment will substantially boost Aktau’s capacity, which currently processes 15 million tons of cargo and up to 140,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) annually.
The expansion is part of Kazakhstan’s broader strategy to develop the Middle Corridor, an increasingly important transit route connecting China with European markets through Central Asia and the Caucasus.
The Ministry reports that container traffic through Kazakhstan via this corridor has already increased dramatically, with first-quarter volumes reaching 25,000 TEUs—a 3.5-fold jump from the 7,200 TEUs recorded during the same period last year.
The Aktau project follows a successful similar operation at Kazakhstan’s Kuryk port, where Jan De Nul Kazakhstan completed dredging work in November 2024. That four-month project increased water depths to 7-8 meters, significantly enhancing the port’s operational capabilities. /// nCa, 13 May 2025