Riga, 22 August (Argus) — Container cargo shipments via the port of Aktau next year may increase by approximately 23% compared to the current year. Container transit via Aktau in 2026 is expected to be 80,000 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) compared to an expected 65,000 TEU in 2025 and 58,500 TEU in 2024.
Industry sources believe the increase in shipments will be facilitated by the commissioning of the first phase of a new container hub at the Kazakh port in June. The design capacity of the new complex, launched by the Port of Aktau and the Chinese company Lianyungang Port, will be 300,000 TEU/year.
“Demand for container cargo shipments from China to Europe via Aktau is quite high, but the port currently lacks terminal capacity and space for container placement. Furthermore, there is a shortage of container ships in the Caspian Sea,” a carrier reported.
The Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan previously forecast that handling via the ports of Aktau and Kuryk in 2026-2029 would be no less than 85,000 containers/year.
In January — June, container transit via Aktau increased to 32,400 TEU from 21,700 TEU a year earlier. Meanwhile, shipments via the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), which runs from China through Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan and Georgia, during this period grew to 30,000 TEU from 19,700 TEU.
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More price information and analytical reviews of the freight transportation market in the Caspian region and Central Asia countries are available in the “Argus Caspian Transport” report.
