Recently, an engineering briefing in Belgium made the sound of waves on the shores of the Caspian Sea even more rapid. When the land sea intermodal artery connecting Europe and Asia encountered throughput bottlenecks, Kazakhstan decisively pressed the upgrade button for Aktau Port. The dredging and shoreline renovation project, which is under the general contracting of China Harbour Engineering, is being vigorously promoted. This trans Caspian international transportation route, which was once limited by insufficient water depth, is waiting for a thorough expansion and rebirth to meet the trillion level increment of cross-border logistics between China and Europe.

Port dredging breaks through bottlenecks

At present, the project has completed precise surveying and data analysis, and the main body of the 680 meter interception dam has stood tall, approaching the planned total length of 785 meters. According to the schedule, the main dredging project will officially start in late July 2026. Chinese engineers will increase the navigation depth of the port to 6 to 7 meters by digging deep into the waterway. This means that large ships will no longer be limited by draft depth and can achieve full load passage, fundamentally solving the operational pain point of "large ships dare not come and cannot load when they come" in Aktau Port for a long time.

Great acceleration of the Trans Caspian Corridor

The upgrade of hardware directly translates into a leap in transportation capacity. As the waterway deepens, the annual capacity of the Trans Caspian International Transport Corridor will soar from 6 million tons to 10 million tons by 2028. The data is the best evidence, as by the first five months of 2026, the container traffic volume between China and Europe in this corridor has increased by 30% year-on-year. In conjunction with the ongoing cross-border transportation digital license exchange, the convenience of this Asia Europe South Corridor is continuously being optimized, becoming the most promising strategic backup for China Europe freight trains, in addition to the traditional northern route. Keywords: the Belt and Road news, port expansion

China and Kazakhstan join forces to stabilize the hub

This is another drop in China's deep cultivation of infrastructure in Central Asia, and also a booster for Kazakhstan's outward oriented economy. China Harbour has once again set a benchmark for overseas engineering by relying on general contracting projects. For the Harbin side, the dual upgrade of hardware expansion and digital customs clearance not only unleashes the potential of the channel, but also strengthens its east-west logistics transit capabilities. In this global supply chain restructuring, Kazakhstan is firmly securing its golden position as the logistics hub of the Eurasian continent with the help of China.Editor/Gao Xue