The civil maritime fleet of Kazakhstan will be expanded with 12 new vessels by 2029 in order to increase the country’s participation in international transport across the Caspian Sea. The shipbuilding plans were announced by the Minister of Transport of the republic, Nurlan Sauranbayev. His remarks were reported by Kazinform, a partner of TV BRICS.
According to the minister, more than 150 vessels involving Kazakhstan are currently operating in the Caspian Sea. They transport oil and cargo containers.
According to the minister, the implementation of the plan will ensure the stable functioning of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route and strengthen Kazakhstan’s position in international logistics.
Sauranbayev also shared plans to expand the country’s civil aviation fleet. A total of 144 aircraft are expected to be delivered to Kazakhstan by 2040. According to the minister, over the past five years, transit air traffic through the republic has increased fourfold, while revenues from air navigation services are now largely generated by transit flows.
Earlier, the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Olzhas Bektenov, stated that 5,000 kilometres of new railways will be built in the republic over the next four years. According to information published on the government’s official website, the authorities aim to increase transit volumes to 100 million tonnes per year by 2035.
“Our common goal is to turn Eurasia into a single, seamlessly functioning transport mechanism. Kazakhstan is the world’s largest landlocked country. However, we are working to transform this geographical challenge into our strategic advantage”
Olzhas Bektenov Prime Minister of Kazakhstan
As noted by the Prime Minister, over the past 15 years the Government of Kazakhstan has invested around US$35 billion in the development of the transport sector. Today, about 85 per cent of all overland transit shipments towards Western China pass through Kazakhstan. According to Bektenov, the country is introducing a digital platform that has already reduced border processing time with China from eight hours to 30 minutes.