Against the background of the sharp decline in the water level of the Caspian Sea, the execution of a strategic project at Kazakhstan’s Port of Aktau is being accelerated to ensure the continuity of regional maritime logistics. According to information released by the Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan, the second phase of the project—dredging operations in the port’s water area—will be launched in the second half of July 2026.
According to sea-news.az a Chinese company has completed its preparations. The main contractor of the project, China’s giant “China Harbour Engineering Company,” has already successfully finished the necessary geodetic surveys in the area and the processing of the acquired data. The main technical and economic indicators of the project are as follows:IndicatorDetailsTarget depthIncreasing the depth of the port’s water area to 6–7 metersVolume of soil to be excavated1.3 million cubic metersTotal project cost
Approximately 42.1 billion tenge (~86.5 million USD)Completion dateBy the end of 2026Critical Situation: The Caspian Level at a Historical MinimumCurrently, the level of the Caspian Sea stands at minus 29.21 meters according to the Baltic Height System, which is considered a recorded historical minimum. The continuous drop in the sea level has made urgent dredging operations inevitable at Kazakhstani ports.Loss Figures: Tankers and Ferries Cannot Be Fully LoadedThe drop in water level severely limits the traffic and cargo-carrying capacity of vessels, which manifests itself clearly in official statistics:Cargo Capacity of Tankers:
Due to the shallowness in the port, tankers can no longer set out to sea with a full load. Vessels that previously carried 12,000 tons of cargo are currently forced to operate with a maximum load of approximately 10,000 tons.Decrease on the Baku–Kuryk Route: Similar difficulties are experienced in ferry transport. As a result of the falling water level, the volume of rail cistern ferry transport along the Baku–Kuryk route has decreased by 22%, while wagon transport has dropped by 10%.This large-scale dredging project to be implemented at the Port of Aktau is of critical importance for preserving the future throughput capacity of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (Middle Corridor).
