EBRD, EU Fund Aktau Port Upgrade To Boost Middle Corridor Trade

2025-09-30 10:09:02

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 30. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), together with the European Union, is financing upgrades at Kazakhstan's Aktau Port to enhance cargo handling and support the Transcaspian transport corridor, Trend reports.

A financial package of up to 45 million euros - including a 35 million euros EBRD loan and a potential 10 million euro EU grant - will fund the extension of two berths and the acquisition of weather-resilient ship-to-shore cranes.

The improvements will allow Aktau Port, Kazakhstan's main maritime gateway on the Caspian Sea, to double its container handling capacity and operate two fully dedicated container berths. Handling time per container is expected to fall from four minutes to just 21⁄2 minutes. Container traffic at the port has surged 121% year on year in 2025.

EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso highlighted the project's strategic importance, noting it addresses a key infrastructure bottleneck along the Transcaspian Corridor and aligns with the EU Global Gateway initiative.

The upgrade forms part of Aktau Port's investment programme, managed by Kazakhstan Railways and owned by the national welfare fund Samruk-Kazyna, which aims to establish the largest container terminal in the Caspian region by the end of 2026, with an annual capacity of 240,000 twenty-foot equivalent units.

The EBRD has invested over 10 billion euros in Kazakhstan across more than 340 projects, primarily supporting private sector development.

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