Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest lake on Earth by both area and volume. It is bordered by Azerbaijan, Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. It has a surface area of 371,000 km². The ports of the littoral states include key trading hubs in international transport corridors and the new Silk Road; including Baku, Aktau & Astrakhan. The sea has become topical since the Russian invasion of Ukraine (started 24.02.2022) as traders seek routes which do not pass through Russian territory. The heavily-sanctioned states of Russia and Iran also have interests in the Caspian Sea’s transport capacity.
$31 billion investment for Kazakhstan rail, sea, air & road transport
Astana, Kazakhstan (Ports Europe) February 13, 2024 – A pool of investment projects worth more than $31 billion in the fields of railway, sea, aviation...
World Bank, HR Wallingford step into shrinking Caspian problem
Aktau, Kazakhstan (Ports Europe) February 12, 2024 – Alarmed by the shrinking waters of the Caspian, Kazakhstan invited the World Bank (WB) to conduct a...
Turkmenistan joins IMO’s convention on bunker oil pollution damage
Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan (Ports Europe) February 8, 2024 – The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has approved Turkmenistan’s accession to the...
Double increase in icebreaker-assisted ships in Russia‘s Caspian ports
Astrakhan, Russia (Ports Europe) February 7, 2024 – There is an unexplained almost double increase in the number of ships assisted by ice breakers in and out...
Update: Belarus cargo to test North-South corridor in spring
Astrakhan, Russia (Ports Europe) February 6, 2024 – Sanctions-hit Belarus is aggressively pursuing alternative cargo transportation options via Russia, a...
Azerbaijan borrows to increase its Caspian fleet
Baku, Azerbaijan (Ports Europe) February 2, 2024 – Azerbaijan’s ambition is to continue to dominate shipping and cargo handling in the Caspian Sea region...
Russian Railways visits international seaport of Turkmenbashi
Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan (Ports Europe) February 1, 2024 – A delegation from Russian Railways Logistics (RZD Logistics) has visited the international...
Turkmenistan to build ships for shrinking Caspian Sea
Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan (Ports Europe) February 1, 2024 – Under pressure from the shrinking Caspian Sea, Turkmenistan’s Balkan shipbuilding and ship...
Iran’s logistics center in Astrakhan
Astrakhan, Russia (PortSEurope) January 31, 2024 – Russia’s Astrakhan region has identified a plot of land near the Caspian port of Astrakhan special...
Kazakhstan invites Port of Rotterdam to manage its ports
Rotterdam, Netherlands (Ports Europe) January 31, 2024 – The Port of Rotterdam has been invited to participate in projects to transform the Caspian Sea...
Astrakhan is a centre of Russia’s Caspian logistics
Astrakhan, Russia (Ports Europe) January 30, 2024 – Hard pressed by Western sanctions, Russia is trying to find alternative transport routes towards...
Aktau, the next Caspian Sea port to start dredging
Aktau, Kazakhstan (Ports Europe) January 29, 2024 – The Caspian Sea port of Aktau has released some details about its planned dredging activities. An...
Kazakhstan ports set for European management
Aktau, Kazakhstan (Ports Europe) January 29, 2024 – The government will approve the management of its seaports, Aktau and Kuryk, by European companies....
Sanctions and transport in Russia’s south
Moscow, Russia (Ports Europe) January 29, 2024 – It’s becoming difficult to obtain information and data about Russia’s transport and logistics,...
Update: How much cargo is handled in Makhachkala port?
Makhachkala, Russia (Ports Europe) January 26, 2024 – Different organisations and authorities in Russia report very different port cargo handling figures....
First cruise service visiting all Caspian states
Astrakhan, Russia (PortSEurope) January 21, 2024 – Moscow has decided to replace services affected by Western sanctions opportunities for Russian...
Russian ports handled 4.96 million TEUs in 2023
Moscow, Russia (Ports Europe) January 19, 2024 – Container turnover of all Russian ports in 2023 reached 4.96 million TEUs, which is 15% higher than in...
Update: Makhachkala port partly reopens after dredging
Makhachkala, Russia (Ports Europe) January 10, 2024 – The oil terminal of Russia’s Caspian Sea port of Makhachkala reopened after emergency dredging to...