(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 1. The current state and key issues of bilateral cooperation in oil maritime transport were discussed at a meeting in Astana between Chairman of the Management Board of KazMunayGas (KMG), Kazakhstan's national company, Askhat Khasenov, and Abu Dhabi Ports Group (ADP) CEO Ammar Al Shaiba, along with ADP Regional Executive Director Abdulaziz Zaid Al Shamsi, Trend reports via the KMG.

The parties discussed the current state and key issues of bilateral cooperation in oil maritime transport, as well as prospects for expanding Kazakhstan's commercial fleet. Particular attention was paid to the development of tanker and container fleets.

Since the establishment of the joint venture Caspian Integrated Maritime Solutions (CIMS), tankers have moved the needle by transporting over 1.5 million tons of oil. Moreover, a joint tanker pool has been cooked up for operations in open waters, currently boasting four Aframax-class tankers, with plans to double down and expand the pool to eight vessels.

Considering ADP's extensive international experience in organizing and transporting container cargoes and the development prospects of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, the parties have launched a project to build two container vessels for trade operations on the Caspian Sea.

Both parties reiterated their dedication to amplifying collaborative synergies, anticipated to optimize Trans-Caspian maritime logistics and catalyze Kazakhstan's transit and transport capabilities.

To note, KazMunayGas (KMG) operates as Kazakhstan's sovereign entity in the oil and gas sector, embodying a comprehensive, vertically integrated model that encompasses the full spectrum of the hydrocarbon value chain, including exploration, extraction, logistics, refining, and ancillary services. Founded in 2002, it serves as the governmental entity overseeing the national oil and gas landscape, orchestrating a diverse portfolio of assets and subsidiaries spanning the upstream, midstream, and downstream sectors of the industry.

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