According to Nurdaulet Kilybay, governor of Kazakhstan’s Mangystau region, the Chinese company Zhongyong International plans to begin construction of a new seaport in Aktau next year. The first phase of the project alone is expected to cost $300 million.
The agreement follows several years of negotiations with the company that operates Tianjin, one of the world’s largest ports.
«We have already identified a suitable land plot for the project, and the paperwork is underway. The documents required to sign an investment agreement have also been prepared. Construction is therefore planned to begin in the second quarter of 2026,» Kilybay said.
The governor emphasized that once completed, the project will help develop a transport corridor linking China and Europe via the ports of Aktau, Baku and Poti.
Meanwhile, Georgian Industrial Group, one of Georgia’s leading business conglomerates, has announced plans to acquire six ferries to establish a regular sea ferry service between the ports of Kuryk in Kazakhstan and Alyat in Azerbaijan. Two of the ferries are expected to be commissioned in the first half of 2026.
Plans to build the new port in Aktau were first announced in November 2025, about a month after the 8th meeting of the Kazakh-Chinese Business Council was held in Beijing on Sept. 2. At that meeting, Zhongyong International was named the company responsible for developing transport and logistics infrastructure in the Mangystau region.
