Kazakhstan expects to receive eight more container ships by 2028. This was announced on Thursday by Kasym Tlepov, deputy chairman of the Committee for Railway and Water Transport at the Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan, during an online event held by the World Bank Group titled "Middle Corridor: The Next Stage."
"Today, the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route is not just a multimodal cross-border route, but a result and indicator of our synchronous work," he said.
According to Tlepov, integration among Middle Corridor participants has already moved from statements to practical interaction.
"We are working together today with our Azerbaijani colleagues, understanding that we lack ships on the Caspian for container transportation and for ferry cargo. Through joint efforts, we have, first of all, increased the fleet currently engaged in regular container feeder services. If at the beginning of the year only three vessels were operating, today we have increased that to twelve," said the deputy chairman.
He noted that the vessels operate on a regular basis, but the continued decline in the Caspian Sea level requires fleet renewal.
"Plus, given that the Caspian has been shallowing for a long time, the level is dropping, and with the understanding that the profitability of the vessels currently in operation is already practically declining, we came to the conclusion that we need to build other vessels, of course with a shallower draft, but with greater carrying capacity, wider," Tlepov said.
According to him, while existing container ships can carry a maximum of about 300 TEU, the new vessels will have significantly greater capacity.
"If today container ships can carry a maximum of up to 300 TEU, the project at Baku Shipyard currently includes two vessels under construction that can take up to 780," he said.
According to Tlepov, two more vessels are being built at Baku Shipyard, and four in China.
"In total, by around 2028, we expect that eight more vessels will join container shipping operations," he noted.
Tlepov also said that Kazakhstan is creating opportunities for businesses to acquire vessels for maritime transport through a financial leasing program.
"Plus, we are now giving our businesses the opportunity, through the introduction of a financial leasing program, to provide cheap loans and invest in the purchase of vessels for maritime transport," he said.
