Minister of Trade and Integration Arman Shakkaliyev reported on the development of cross-border hubs at a Government meeting chaired by Olzhas Bektenov.
The Caspian Node will be aimed at the countries of the Caspian region with a population of more than 100 million people. The practical implementation of the project is the construction of a site for container storage and transshipment from a railway wagon to sea containers, as well as the provision of high–quality service for their processing.
The Caspian Hub will allow TMTM to increase the volume of transit cargo from China to Europe, as well as the development of the Turkmenbashi–Aktau – PRC container line.
One of the projects implemented as part of the development of hubs at the Caspian hub is the project "Construction of a container hub in Aktau seaport".
Work on the project has begun. A land plot of 19 hectares has been reserved on the territory of the Aktau Seaport SEZ. An agreement on attracting investments in this project has been signed with a potential investor, the port of Lianyungang Group of Companies LLC. International companies PSA International (Singapore), Abu Dhabi Ports Group (UAE), Adani Group (India), and Rhenus (Germany) have also expressed interest in participating in the project.
The project is being implemented by the Ministry of Transport in cooperation with the Akimat of Mangystau region. The construction of the container hub in Aktau port is scheduled to be completed in the second quarter of 2025.
Another project that gives impetus to the development and expansion of the Kuryk port is the construction of the multifunctional Sarzha marine Terminal. The investor is the SEMURG INVEST company.
The project involves the construction of a general cargo terminal, a universal terminal, a bulk cargo terminal, as well as a transport and logistics center and a production complex with a total capacity of about 10 million tons. General cargo has been transshipped since November 2023, and more than 73,000 tons of metal and fertilizers have been processed to date. The project completion date is 2026.
"To date, the measures and procedures for the adoption of organizational and administrative documents necessary for the creation of hubs have been fully completed. In particular, two intergovernmental agreements have been signed with Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, and industrial zones have been created," Arman Shakkaliyev said.