The delivery time of goods from China to ports on the Black Sea through the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route has been reduced from 38-53 to 19-23 days, and by the end of this year it should reach 14-18 days. This was reported at a recent meeting in the Government of Kazakhstan, dedicated to measures for the development of the middle route.
On the Kazakhstan section of the route, the transit cargo transit time has also halved compared to last year from 12 to 6 days further will be reduced to 5 days by the end of 2023.
The progress became possible thanks to cooperation of the participating countries in removing bottlenecks along the route, the implementation of through tariffs, and other measures.
In the next few years, Kazakhstan plans to expand the capacities of the Caspian ports of Aktau and Kuryk. In particular, a container hub will be created in the port of Aktau, the transport fleet will be upgraded and oil loading berths will be modernized. A new berth will be built in the port of Kuryk, multifunctional and grain terminals will be launched.
By 2030, Kazakhstan’s fleet in the Caspian Sea will be restocked by 2030, 10 oil barges, 8 ferries, 6 tankers and a container ship will start operating.
Furthermore, Kazakhstan and China will ink an agreement on the development of the Middle Corridor, which will include the streamlining of customs procedures and the approval of guaranteed traffic volumes on the route.
The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TMTM) or Middle Corridor is an international transport corridor connecting China and European countries through Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan and Georgia. The route includes 10 thousand kilometers of railway networks, 10 seaports, 70 thousand units of rolling stock.
The capacity of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TMTM) or the Middle Corridor may grow to 10 million tons per year by 2025. ///nCa, 4 March 2023