Kazakh Invest and China’s Guoyou Materials Group have discussed implementing a major Caspian Sea infrastructure project involving the construction of a $1.1 billion multifunctional transloading complex at the port of Kuryk.
Once commissioned, the advanced shipping cluster is expected to boost Kazakhstan’s transit potential and strengthen its role along the transport route from China to Europe via the Caspian Sea.
The first phase of the project, scheduled to begin later this year, is estimated to cost $300 million, while total investment across all phases could reach $1.1 billion. The complex is expected to create up to 1,500 jobs during construction and 800 permanent jobs once it becomes operational in 2028.
Given the scale of Chinese exports to Europe, the project will include the construction of seven berths, warehouses and logistics facilities, as well as rail and road access infrastructure.
Cargo flows will be managed using digital systems, including a terminal operating system (TOS) platform and EDI integration. Once the first phase is completed, the port will be able to handle up to 180,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) per year, as well as up to 180,000 vehicles and 2 to 3 million tons of bulk cargo annually.
According to Asset Tuyakbayev, who represented Kazakh Invest at the talks with Guoyou Materials Group, the development of port and logistics infrastructure remains a priority in Kazakhstan’s investment policy. He added that the country expects the project to increase the capacity of the Middle Corridor and attract additional cargo flows between Asia and Europe.
