The contractor, China Harbor Engineering Company Ltd (CHECK), has already conducted geodetic surveys, mobilized dredgers and specialized equipment. Of the planned 785 m of the enclosing dam, 680 m has been built on the alluvial site.
The volume of excavation will amount to about 1.3 million cubic meters. m. The depth of the water area after completion of the work will reach 6-7 m. Now this is not enough for full—fledged operation of the port in the conditions of the ongoing decrease in the level of the Caspian Sea. Dredging will increase the safety of navigation and create the basis for further investments in port infrastructure.
The implementation period is until the end of 2026. After the completion of the project, the cost of the offshore section of the Middle Corridor should decrease by 10-15%.
Aktau Seaport is located on the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea and is part of the Caspian Transport and Logistics hub. Corridors connecting Kazakhstan with Iran, Azerbaijan, Russia and Turkey pass through it. The port processes dry cargo, crude oil and petroleum products: in the first eight months of 2026, KazTransOil increased oil transshipment through Aktau by 6% to 2.38 million tons.
TMTM is experiencing steady growth. The volume of container traffic between China and Europe along the route increased by 30% in the first five months of 2026. Kazakhstan intends to increase the total capacity of the corridor from 6 million to 10 million tons by 2028, and the capacity of the country's seaports to 30 million tons by 2030.
For Russian and European importers who are building supply chains through China bypassing traditional routes, Aktau's expansion is changing the calculation: a deeper water area will allow for the use of larger vessels, and lower freight rates on the offshore shoulder will make the route more competitive relative to northern alternatives. The first container train of the new container hub has already been handled at the port — the infrastructure is being built up in parallel with dredging.
Related materials:
- The Trans-Caspian route bypassing Russia: China invests constantly, not temporarily — who invests in the Middle Corridor and why
- The Caspian Sea has become a working alternative to Hormuz, as the Aktau—Baku route is already being used instead of Hormuz.
- Kazakhstan raises railway tariffs by 23-24% from September 21, 2026 — how much more expensive is the land part of the corridor
