Key Takeaways:
- Aktau sea port special economic zone expansion will triple the area to 9,800 hectares and extend its mandate to 2053.
- Twenty-three new economic activities were added, including ship repair, textiles and furniture manufacturing.
- A new 19-hectare container hub is nearing completion with annual capacity of 240,000 TEU and heavy-duty rail cranes installed.
- More than KZT 121 billion in investment and about 2,000 jobs are expected from 15 new projects launched this year.
Kazakhstan has significantly expanded the Aktau sea port special economic zone and extended its operating term to 2053, officials confirmed. The move aims to deepen logistics links along the Caspian coast, unlock new industrial activity and attract fresh investment to the region.
Aktau sea port special economic zone expansion
The government increased the special economic zone’s territory from 2,800 to 9,800 hectares, bringing a range of strategic assets into the zone. The enlargement now includes Aktau International Airport, the Sarzha logistics hub, the first phase of the Kendirli tourism area, an industrial site in Zhanaozen and additional land earmarked for tourism development in Aktau.
Gulmira Abisheva, Executive Director of the Aktau sea port SEZ, said the expansion will foster new manufacturing and service sectors and create employment. “The enlarged zone will encourage factories and logistics operators to set up here, which in turn will support local jobs and broader economic growth,” she said.
As part of the extension, policymakers added 23 new permitted activities. These include ship repair, clothing and textile production, and furniture and timber manufacturing, among others. Officials say the changes will diversify the zone’s industrial base and strengthen its role as a Caspian logistics gateway.
A major project within the SEZ is a container hub that is now in its final commissioning stage. Infrastructure works completed so far include an administrative building, a control point, fire protection facilities and utility networks. Two rail-mounted, heavy-duty cranes capable of lifting containers of more than 40 tonnes each have been installed on the site.
Kairat Kaliolla, Deputy Director General of the Aktau International Container Hub, outlined the hub’s capabilities. The site covers 19 hectares and will provide auxiliary services such as container measuring, certification and repair. Once fully operational next spring, the hub’s annual throughput is forecast to reach 240,000 twenty-foot equivalent units.
Authorities say the enhancement of logistics capacity is central to the SEZ’s development. Since the start of the year, 15 new investment projects have been launched inside the Aktau sea port SEZ, attracting more than KZT 121 billion in capital. Officials estimate the schemes will create around 2,000 new jobs.
The expanded special economic zone is intended to boost trade through the Caspian Sea and to make Aktau a more attractive point for domestic and foreign investors. Developers and local administrators are currently focused on completing commissioning works and bringing the new facilities into full operation in the coming months.
With the mandate extended to 2053, the Aktau sea port SEZ will have a longer planning horizon to implement infrastructure upgrades, promote sectoral diversification and support the growth of export-oriented logistics services in the region.
Observers say the expansion reinforces Kazakhstan’s strategy to develop transport corridors that link Central Asia with international maritime routes, and to strengthen its position within wider regional trade networks.
