BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 15. The transit of goods through the Kazakhstan's port of Kuryk, which is one of the important components of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR or Middle Corridor), continues to increase.
As the source at port of Kuryk told Trend, the transit of goods through the port amounted to 153,000 tons from January through October 2023. This figure exceeded the transit for the entire 2022 (133,000 tons).
Kazakhstan, meanwhile, continues to take measures to increase the capacity of the Middle Corridor. As previously stated by the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, in the medium term, traffic volumes along this corridor can be increased fivefold.
Based on the results of work for 10 months of 2023, the port of Kuryk processed 599 ferries. The volume of transshipment during the mentioned period amounted to 1.807 million tons.
Of these, 1.24 million tons are railway-related (16,450 railcars) and 566,000 tons (23,652 units) have to do with road transport (trucks and passenger vehicles).
For comparison, over the 10 months of 2022, 522 ferries were handled and 1.569 million tons were transshipped (including wheeled vehicles - 509,000 tons).
The volume of transshipment by rail for 10 months of 2022 amounted to 1.060 million tons or 14,667 railcars. The transshipment volume for the road transport was 509,000 tons or 24,361 units.
Kazakhstan aims to become a full-fledged transport and logistics hub in Central Asia and the Caspian region. Transport, logistics and trade hubs are being created around the country on the borders with China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Russia and the Caspian Sea.
In particular, project for the construction of a Sarzha Multifunctional Marine Terminal is currently being implemented in the port of Kuryk. The terminal's capacity will be 10 million tons per year, and full completion is planned for 2030. As part of the project, a grain terminal with a capacity of 1.5 million tons, a general cargo terminal with a capacity of 1 million tons, a universal terminal with a capacity of 2 million tons, a liquid cargo terminal with a capacity of 5.5 million tons, and a transport and logistics center (TLC) will be built.
The first stages of construction of the TLC, grain terminal, and ground infrastructure have already been completed.
The Middle Corridor is a transportation and trade route that connects Asia and Europe, passing through several countries in the region. It is an alternative route to the traditional Northern Corridor and Southern Corridor. The route starts in China and crosses Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. It then passes through the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye before reaching Europe.
The Middle Corridor offers a land route that connects the eastern parts of Asia, including China, with Europe, bypassing the longer maritime routes.