Oil handling rose by 58%
In January-July 2023, the port of Aktau in the Republic of Kazakhstan handled over 2.6 million tonnes of dry bulk and liquid bulk cargo, down 24%, year-on-year, according to the press release of NC KTZ JSC.
Over the 7-month period, the port handled 142 thousand tonnes of grain, 114 thousand tonnes of metal, over 13 thousand containers. Handling of oil rose by 58%, year-on-year, to 2.1 million tonnes due to redirection of Kazakh oil exports to Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan route via the port of Aktau. Handling of metal rose by 87% due to the increase of non-ferrous metal exports via the port of Aktau.
The ports of the Caspian sea are among the key points of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) across China, Kazakhstan, water area of the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, the Black Sea and the European countries.
Annual capacity of the three oil berths in the port of Aktau is 7.5 million tonnes. There are three dry bulk berths for handling of general, packaged and oversize cargo , a berth for grain handling and a berth for ferries.
A container hub is to be put into operation at the port in 2025. It will let provide the full range of container handling services (up to 300 thousand TEU per year). A number of measures are to be undertaken to increase the capacity of dry bulk terminals. Berth No3 is to be extended, oil berths NoNo 9,10 are to undergo reconstruction, berth No12 is to undergo dredging works.
Aktau is the first port of Kazakhstan to be awarded the EcoPort certificate by the European Sea Ports Organization (ESPO). The certificate allows for expansion of partnership with European ports and promotes the reduction of the ports’ environmental footprint and improvement of the environmental situation in the Caspian region.