On Kazakhstan’s Day of Maritime and River Transport Workers, the Transport Ministry highlighted major achievements in the sector, noting that freight volumes along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route increased by 3.5 times over the past five years, Qazinform News Agency reports.
The holiday was established last year by order of the Head of State and is aimed at raising the prestige of working professions, as well as recognizing the contribution of water transport specialists to the development of the country’s transport and logistics system.
The development of the water transport sector is one of the important directions of Kazakhstan’s transport policy. Over the past five years, freight volume along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route has increased 3.5 times. This growth became possible thanks to the comprehensive development of maritime infrastructure.
For example, transshipment equipment has been modernized and a container hub built at the Port of Aktau, while dredging works and the construction of additional terminals have been carried out at the Port of Kuryk. To digitalize the transport process, an IT platform has been created that allows online monitoring of cargo movement and contract signing through a ‘single-window’ system.
By 2029, Kazakhstan and China plan to increase freight volume along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route to 300,000 TEU. In addition, Kazakhstan continues to develop inland water transport. Major repairs are underway on three navigation locks without taking them out of operation, and a modern automated lock management system is being introduced.
Today, more than 14,000 water transport specialists work in the industry. Thanks to their professionalism, responsibility, and dedication, water transport is developing, the quality and safety of freight services are improving, and Kazakhstan’s international transport connections are being strengthened.
Earlier Qazinform reported, the European Union and Kazakhstan reaffirmed their commitment to further developing the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) during the Third National Workshop of the TITR Coordination Platform in Astana.