Kuryk is expanding its transit capacity. Kazakhstan has presented the Middle Corridor’s development prospects and new Caspian infrastructure to a UK parliamentary delegation, highlighting the route’s growing role in trade between Central Asia and global markets, DKNews.kz reports.
The briefing was organised by QazTrade for a delegation from the British Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. The delegation was led by Tan Dhesi, Chair of the UK House of Commons Defence Committee, and included members of both the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
Sarzha terminal targets capacity of 5 million tonnes a year
One of the key topics was the expansion of infrastructure at the Port of Kuryk on the Caspian Sea.
Madina Anet, Business Development Director at SEMURG INVEST, presented the Sarzha multifunctional marine terminal cluster to the British delegation.
The project is designed to provide annual throughput capacity of up to 5 million tonnes of cargo, including container capacity of up to 110,000 TEUs.
These figures matter for the Middle Corridor because the route’s ability to handle growing trade volumes depends heavily on the capacity of Kazakhstan’s Caspian ports and terminals.
The Sarzha project has been under development for several years and combines specialised terminals with transport and logistics infrastructure.
QazTrade highlights regional role of the Middle Corridor
Nurlan Kulbatyrov, CEO of QazTrade, outlined the current state of the Middle Corridor and its development prospects.
The route was presented not only as a strategic transport link for Kazakhstan but also as an increasingly important trade corridor for Central Asia as a whole.
The Middle Corridor, also known as the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, connects China and Central Asia with European markets via the Caspian Sea, the South Caucasus and Türkiye.
For Kazakhstan, the route offers an opportunity to diversify trade and transit links. Its competitiveness, however, depends on practical factors such as port capacity, cargo handling, rail connectivity and the speed at which goods can move across borders.
EU-backed projects add another dimension to the corridor
Jalil Bulatov, National Coordinator at the International Trade Centre (ITC), presented projects being implemented in the region with European Union support under the Global Gateway initiative.
The involvement of international institutions adds a broader trade dimension to the infrastructure projects along the route.
The briefing itself also reflects growing international attention to the Middle Corridor. The UK delegation included parliamentarians from both chambers of Parliament, while discussions focused on how Kazakhstan’s infrastructure could support wider regional trade.
Kuryk is becoming a key Caspian hub
The Port of Kuryk is emerging as one of the most important Kazakh nodes along the Middle Corridor.
The Sarzha cluster is being developed to handle different categories of cargo, while the planned capacity of up to 5 million tonnes a year would significantly expand the infrastructure available on Kazakhstan’s Caspian coast.
Container handling is another priority. The planned capacity of up to 110,000 TEUs a year is particularly relevant as Kazakhstan seeks to increase container traffic along the Trans-Caspian route.
The practical test will be how effectively these new facilities integrate with railways, shipping services and terminals elsewhere along the corridor.
For Kazakhstan, the key figure is therefore not simply the amount invested in infrastructure, but the additional trade volume that the route can ultimately handle. The capacity presented to the British delegation — up to 5 million tonnes and 110,000 TEUs annually — illustrates the scale of the country’s plans for its Caspian logistics hub.
We previously reported on how the Sarzha terminal at the Port of Kuryk is being developed as a logistics link between East and West.
