How Aqtau Port Combats Bad Weather and Shallow Water So Kazakhstan Receives Export Income

Kazakhstan spares no effort or expense to increase the capacity of the Trans-Caspian route.

Kazmortransflot, a subsidiary of KazMunayGas, is teaming up with the UAE’s AD Ports Group to build two container ships specifically for this purpose.

Plans also include developing large-capacity ferries and terminal infrastructure on the Caspian Sea.

Orda.kz visited the international seaport of Aqtau. 

After Kazakhstan gained independence, the Aqtau Port, often called the country's western gateway, achieved international status.

Traditionally, the primary export through the Caspian Sea route has been oil from the Mangystau and Atyrau fields. Each year, Aqtau Port handles over 3.5 million tons of oil.

Loading this raw material into tankers typically takes nearly a whole day. 

Once loaded, the oil tankers set sail for Makhachkala in Russia, from where the Kazakh “black gold” travels to Europe via the central oil pipeline system of PJSC Transneft.

However, oil has given way to other exports at the port. Regarding shipment volume, containers are slowly replacing raw materials in the top positions.

What's In The Containers?

These extensive iron storage facilities handle domestic agricultural products, non-ferrous metals, and transit cargo from China.

China exports smartphones and other gadgets made in domestic factories through Kazakhstan. From the Aqtau Port, containers with goods are shipped to Baku, then to Batumi, and eventually to global markets.

According to Aqtau Port's president, Abay Turikpenbayev, the container transport volume has nearly doubled, reaching 51 thousand TEU per year.

TEU is a standard unit of measurement for container transport, representing a 20 x 8 x 8-foot intermodal container.

The Aqtau Port is under the trust management of JSC NC KTZ.

All containers arriving come by rail. Kazakhstan exports grain, lentils, peas, and sunflower seeds through the Caspian Sea. Iran has been and remains the leading buyer of Kazakhstani grain transported by sea.

However, Russia has recently been edging Kazakhstan out of the Iranian market.

Previously, we handled about 800,000 tons of grain annually. However, in recent years, this figure has dropped significantly. In 2024, we handled only about 250,000 - 270,000 tons of grain. The decrease is due to growing competition in the Iranian market, where Russian grain producers and traders thrive. With a strong harvest and a clear focus on this market, Russia has become a dominant player,  said the port's president, Abay Turikpenbayev.

Kazakhstan trades various goods through the Caspian Sea, including non-ferrous metals (copper, aluminum, zinc, lead), ferrosilicon, ferrochrome, and uranium.

Uranium is transported following strict safety regulations for handling radioactive materials, as approved by the IAEA. Uranium is one of the world's most sought-after types of fuels.

In 2023, over 200 containers of Kazakhstan's uranium were shipped through the port of Aqtau.

Nature Factors In

In November and December 2024, a significant storm hit Kazakhstan's section of the Caspian Sea, leading to a complete halt in container loading. While weather forecasts are usually reliable, there are still surprises.

Typically, we expect four to six days of bad weather during these months; however, this year saw 11 stormy days in November and over 10 in December. On such stormy days, the port shuts down, as vessels don't take the risk of sailing on rough seas. This is especially true since containers are stacked five tiers high, increasing the chance of damage to both the containers and their cargo. Safety measures for seafarers are the top priority, explains Abay Turikpenbayev. 

Nature itself also seems to be creating challenges.

The Caspian Sea is shrinking, which has directly impacted operations at Aqtau port.

As the water level drops, cargo ships find it increasingly difficult to approach the berths for loading and unloading, and this is only one of the many problems arising from these changes.

As the navigable draught decreases, ships are leaving underloaded, negatively affecting the economics of maritime transport and alternative routes.

Additionally, this year, the port began to be covered by silt and sand, an unprecedented issue.

To address this, dredging work has been conducted. Periodically, they clear the area near the berth using cranes and grabs, and in the water, we use a dredger. A budget has been allocated for similar work in 2025 to ensure safe navigation in the port.

However, these measures only address the consequences, explains the president of Aqtau Port.

He emphasizes that only dredging can provide a long-term solution, though it comes at a high cost. The port plans to seek financial assistance from the government to cover these expenses.

To effectively address this issue and reduce the associated risks, it is essential to dredge the water area itself. This requires the removal of approximately 1.3 million cubic meters of dense, hard soil. The process demands the use of heavier, more powerful dredgers, which are efficient but very costly. Naturally, the port does not have sufficient funds to cover these expenses. In most countries, such projects are funded by the government rather than businesses. For this reason, we have approached the government for assistance. The payback period for such an investment exceeds 40 years, making it financially unfeasible for any commercial organization, including ours, to bear the costs alone,  explained Abay Turikpenbayev.

According to rough estimates, the first stage of dredging the Caspian Sea will cost 25 billion tenge.

Given that the sea shrinks yearly, the work will not end with one stage. It is still unclear whether the government can find billions in the budget for this purpose.

This year alone, the Caspian Sea has decreased by 15 cm, following a trend of 20-25 cm shrinkage each year for the past three years. Such significant changes haven’t been seen in the past. While solar activity plays a role in this, contributing to higher evaporation rates, there are other unexplained factors at play, said the president of the seaport.

Oil Smuggling

In July 2023, the National Security Committee conducted an extensive operation: special forces intercepted a tanker smuggling oil out of the country. Security personnel descended onto the ship from helicopters and boats.

However, since the operation, the committee has released no further details.

As it turned out later, the seized tanker was the Meliana, owned by BatysNefteTrade LLP. 

The vessel, loaded with oil products, remains under arrest at Aqtau Port.

Civil activist Zharkyn Kurentayev wrote on social media that the Meliana case is being deliberately delayed, claiming it involves prominent figures from government agencies. Aqtau Port President Abay Turikpenbayev declined to comment, saying that the criminal case is unrelated to the port's activities.

Cars from Dubai

Aqtau Port is a hub for exporting goods and raw materials and a gateway for importing fruits, vegetables, construction materials, and chemical products into Kazakhstan via the Caspian Sea.

Some of this cargo goes beyond the country to our land-based neighbors. 

Cars from Dubai also make their way through the port.

Both luxury and standard vehicles travel long before reaching Kazakhstan's roads: they are shipped from the UAE to Iranian ports and then cross the Caspian Sea by cargo ship.

Last year, a record number of foreign cars arrived from Dubai. We found only three cars in the port’s parking lot, though.

How Much Does Aqtau Port Make?

In 2024, the Aqtau International Seaport generated approximately 13 billion tenge in revenue and a net profit of about 4 billion tenge. Despite challenges such as bad weather, storms, and the Caspian Sea's decreasing water levels, the port has continued to grow its income.

Cargo traffic increased by 300–400 tons compared to 2023.

To accommodate the rising volume of goods, a new container terminal is under construction, as the current facilities are reaching capacity.

The port administration has assured that no state funds will be requested for this expansion. Instead, the project will be financed through Chinese investments and borrowed funds.

 Original Author: Dinara Bekbolaeva