Kazakhstan to build ferry fleet, new port on Caspian Sea

Kazakhstan plans to build its own ferry fleet of 10 vessels, as well as a new port on the Caspian Sea to increase its export potential.

The acting chairman of the Transport Committee under the Kazakh Industry and Infrastructure Development Ministry, Kassym Tlepov, made the statement, according to Sputnik Kazakhstan.

The official said that in the current economic situation, the country urgently needs to increase transit capacity, as well as improve the trade infrastructure. He pointed out that so far Nur-Sultan has only four bulk carriers, and Azerbaijan is the monopolist in regional cargo transportation.

"Kazakhstan has never been a maritime country and therefore has not fully utilised the possibilities of sea transportation. Now is a different time," Tlepov.

He added that a new cargo terminal is likely to be built in Aktau. International companies will be involved in the construction, in particular, container operators Maersk, MSC and COSCO Shipping.

"Today we are experiencing a shortage in containers," Tlepov said.

Earlier in Novorossiysk, the court decided to stop the activities of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium for 30 days. This company accounts for 80 per cent of the oil exported by Kazakhstan, including from the Tengiz field.

In response, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev decided to initiate consideration of new route options for oil supply bypassing Russia. He also called the Trans-Caspian route a priority, which starts from China, and after Kazakhstan passes through the Caspian Sea and then to Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye, from where supplies can be made to European countries.