BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 1. Dredging work will be carried out in Kazakhstan's port of Aktau, a source at the port told Trend.
According to the source, the dredging area will be approximately 115.1 hectares. The volume of soil excavated from the port water area is approximately 1.63 million cubic meters.
The source noted that dredging work will be carried out along the line of dry cargo berths of the port (dredging depth will be 6 meters), along the line of oil berths (dredging depth will be 8 meters), the turning circle for oil and dry cargo berths (dredging depth will be 8 meters), the shipping canal (dredging depth will be 6 meters), etc.
"The project is planned to be implemented before the end of 2025," the source said. Thus, the development of design and estimate documentation is planned for 2024, and construction and installation work is planned for 2025.
As the source noted, financial resources for the implementation of the project will be allocated from the budget.
Meanwhile, the Aktau port is an integral part of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR, or Middle Corridor).
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.
Furthermore, the total cargo turnover of the Aktau port amounted to 3.785 million tons from January through October 2023, which is 22 percent more than the same period in 2022 (3.109 million tons).
Thus, in the first 10 months of last year, oil transshipment amounted to 3.012 million tons, which is 54 percent more than in the same period in 2022 (1.957 million tons).
At the same time, grain transshipment decreased from 384,000 tons in 2022 to 162,000 in 2023.
In addition, the transshipment of metal increased by 142,000 tons (an increase of 48 percent), ferry cargo by 9,000 tons (an increase of three times), and other cargo by 459,000 tons (an increase of 31 percent).