ASTANA – Dredging works at the Port of Aktau on the Caspian Sea are expected to increase cargo volumes along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) by up to 30% and reduce maritime shipping costs by 10-15%, according to the port administration.
Photo credit: Ministry of Transport.
The main phase of the project began in October, with completion scheduled for the end of 2026. The project is valued at 20.6 billion tenge (US$45.6 million) and is financed by the Kazakh government and the Ministry of Transport, partly through loans, administration told the Kazinform news agency.
The work is being carried out by China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), which serves as the general contractor. According to Aktau International Sea Trade Port, the company is responsible for the entire process, from geodetic surveys to removing sediment from the seabed. The port administration also clarified that reports of a French company’s involvement in the project were incorrect.
Dredging to address falling water levels
The project covers 77.1 hectares of the port’s waters, including approach channels and areas near berths. The port administration said declining water levels in the Caspian Sea have prevented vessels from entering the port at full capacity.
Depths near the berths currently range from 4.5 to five meters. Following dredging, they are expected to reach six to seven meters. Approximately 1.3 million cubic meters of seabed material will be removed.
The extracted material will be transported to designated sites, with some of it intended for use in creating artificial land for the construction of new berths.
Higher cargo capacity and lower shipping costs
The port administration expects the deeper waterways to allow vessels to carry larger loads, increasing cargo transportation along the TITR by up to 30% after the work is completed. By 2028, the route’s annual capacity is planned to increase from six million to 10 million tons.
“Thanks to the possibility of fully loading vessels, the cost of maritime cargo transportation is expected to decrease by approximately 10-15%,” the port administration said.
The improvements are intended to strengthen Aktau’s role in the Trans-Caspian corridor, which connects transport networks across Central Asia and the Caspian Sea. Greater vessel loading capacity could help reduce the need for partially loaded voyages and improve the economics of maritime freight.
Part of broader efforts to address Caspian challenges
The project comes amid growing concern over the Caspian Sea’s declining water levels and their effects on navigation, port operations and regional connectivity.
Earlier, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has proposed establishing a pool of international projects to help protect the Caspian Sea. He has also called for a shared digital platform to collect and analyze data on water resources, shoreline changes, biodiversity, pollution and river flows.
