Kazakhstan’s maritime gateway set for major upgrade through €45 million EBRD-EU financing package

Kazakhstan’s maritime gateway set for major upgrade through €45 million EBRD-EU financing package

(IN BRIEF) The EBRD is providing €35 million in financing to modernise Kazakhstan’s port of Aktau, with up to €10 million in additional support expected from the EU, creating a total package of €45 million. The funds will extend berths and introduce new cranes, doubling the port’s container-handling capacity and reducing handling times. The project is part of Aktau’s ambition to become the Caspian region’s largest container terminal by 2026, processing 240,000 TEUs annually. Identified as a key hub of the Transcaspian Corridor, the development supports the EU’s Global Gateway initiative and aligns with EBRD objectives for Kazakhstan and Central Asia.

(PRESS RELEASE) LONDON, 30-Sep-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is strengthening Kazakhstan’s role in regional trade by providing €35 million in financing to modernise and expand the port of Aktau, the country’s main maritime hub on the Caspian Sea. The project is also set to benefit from an additional EU grant of up to €10 million through the Asia Pacific Investment Facility, bringing the total financing package to €45 million.

The investment will fund the extension of two berths and the installation of weather-resilient ship-to-shore cranes, allowing Aktau to handle a sharp rise in container traffic. In 2025 alone, container volumes at the port increased by 121 per cent year on year, underlining the urgency of capacity upgrades. With the new facilities, the port will be able to double its container-handling capacity, cut handling times per unit from four minutes to 2½ minutes, and operate two fully dedicated container berths with independent trans-shipment lines.

EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso stressed the strategic importance of the project: “Together with the EU we are supporting this project because it meets our strategic objectives for Kazakhstan and Central Asia. It is also part of the global transport and logistics infrastructure solutions covered by the EU Global Gateway initiative. Our funds will help to address a key infrastructure bottleneck along the Transcaspian Corridor.”

The upgrades are part of Aktau’s wider development programme, managed by Kazakhstan Railways and owned by the national welfare fund Samruk-Kazyna. By the end of 2026, the port aims to become the largest container terminal in the Caspian region, with the capacity to process up to 240,000 twenty-foot equivalent units annually.

The port of Aktau was previously highlighted as a critical node of the Transcaspian Corridor in an EBRD-led, EU-funded study on sustainable transport connections between Europe and Central Asia. This latest investment reinforces Kazakhstan’s role in linking Asian and European markets while advancing regional trade resilience.

To date, the EBRD has invested more than €10 billion in Kazakhstan across 340 projects, with a strong focus on supporting private-sector growth and infrastructure development.

Media Contact:

Anton Usov
Email: media@ebrd.com 

SOURCE: EBRD