ASTANA – Kazakhstan is strengthening its maritime emergency response and environmental safety infrastructure in the Caspian Sea as falling water levels increase pressure on regional navigation and rescue operations. Photo credit: gov.kz Click to see the map in full size.
The map is designed by The Astana Times. During a working visit to the Atyrau Region, Emergency Situations Minister Chingis Arinov inspected the North Caspian Environmental Response Base, where he reviewed specialized vessels and equipment used for oil spill response, rescue, and search-and-rescue operations in Kazakhstan’s sector of the Caspian Sea.
The visit focused on the readiness of the naval fleet and the condition of maritime infrastructure supporting emergency operations. Officials also discussed maintaining navigation along the Primorsky Canal and access to waterways leading to the response base, an increasingly urgent issue as the Caspian Sea continues to recede, reported the ministry’s press service on May 21.
Under presidential instructions to strengthen environmental safety and maritime rescue capabilities, Kazakhstan established JSC Teniz Zhasagy to conduct offshore emergency response operations, including oil spill containment and search-and-rescue missions. Since March, large-scale dredging, widening, and rehabilitation work have been carried out along the canal under the ministry’s coordination.
Authorities said the project restored the waterway’s full functionality for specialized vessels without using state budget funds. The visit was attended by Atyrau Region Deputy Akim Kairat Nurtayev and NCOC Deputy Managing Director Zhandos Orazaliyev. Officials described the canal rehabilitation as an important step toward ensuring the stable operation of maritime infrastructure and strengthening environmental and industrial safety in the Caspian region.