Competition on the Caspian Sea: Ports of Kazakhstan and Dagestan Plan to Redirect Chinese Cargo
Kazakhstan’s Kuryk Port and Russia’s Makhachkala Commercial Sea Port have signed a cooperation agreement in the field of roll-on/roll-off ferry transportation. The main objective of the agreement is to redirect cargo flows from China and Central Asia to a new transport route. Currently, most of these goods are transported through the port of Turkmenbashi International Seaport.
The document was signed on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. Officials emphasized that the project will enable Kuryk and Makhachkala to attract additional transit cargo flows. To achieve this, overland routes from China are planned to be shifted from the southern corridor, which passes through Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, to a northern corridor running exclusively through Kazakhstan.
The choice of these ports is based on their favorable geographical location. Kuryk and Makhachkala are situated on opposite shores of the Caspian Sea, approximately 340 kilometers apart. The Kazakh side notes that Kuryk is located in a sheltered bay, allowing ferry operations throughout the year. Meanwhile, Makhachkala is Russia’s deepest and only ice-free port on the Caspian Sea. An additional incentive for launching the route was the completion of large-scale dredging works in Kuryk’s harbor area in June 2026.
At present, Turkmenistan maintains a leading position in regional cargo turnover. In 2025, the cargo handling volume of the Port of Turkmenbashi exceeded 7.3 million tons, a figure nearly comparable to the combined throughput of all Kazakhstan’s seaports.
To compete successfully, the new logistics partnership between Kuryk and Makhachkala will need to demonstrate clear economic advantages to Chinese suppliers. Despite sanctions-related risks, cargo transit from China to Europe through Russia continues to show steady growth.
ORIENT
