Rhenus Group has inked a deal with the national railway of Kazakhstan in a bid to strengthen its foothold along the Middle Corridor of the New Silk Road.

During a state visit to Kazakhstan by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the Rhenus Group signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Kazakhstan Railways (National Company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy), which includes enhancing the transshipment capacity of the Caspian Sea region.

The MoU between Rhenus and Kazakhstan Temir Zholy is to explore joint ways to develop transshipment facilities in the Caspian ports. 

"In doing so, the two companies aim to help strengthen the transport route between Europe and China that passes south of Russia, known as the Middle Corridor," the statement said.

The Corridor runs from Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey via Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan to China.

Rhenus said the partners will work together on project planning for logistic centers in the Caspian Sea region as well as on increasing freight turnover along the Middle Corridor.

Other topics include technical and advisory support for the design of a container hub in the port of Aktau and assistance in attracting transit cargo.

More investments planned

"The Middle Corridor is more than just a transit route. It provides access to a market with over 90 million consumers. Rhenus has been present in Central Asia for almost 30 years," said Tobias Bartz, CEO and chairman of the management board of the Rhenus Group.

"In this region, we are focusing on supply chain stability and capacity, on developing and operating high-performance container terminals and shipping links on the Caspian Sea. Therefore, we plan to invest in corresponding handling capacities on the Middle Corridor in the long term," he added.

Heinrich Kerstgens, project manager and representative of management board of the Rhenus Group, said: "We expect strong growth in Central Asian and Caucasian economies and an increase in containerized goods flows."

He added that the ports of Aktau and Kuryk are important hubs along the Middle Corridor to connect traffic between Asia and Europe via the Southern Caucasus and the Black Sea or Türkiye.

"Together with Kazakhstan Temir Zholy, we could build a strong cooperation network along the Middle Corridor and connect it to existing networks in Europe, so that this route perfectly meets the requirements of our customers," Kerstgens said.

The Memorandum was signed in Astana on June 20, in the presence of the German President, who was in Kazakhstan on an official state visit, and the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kasym-Schomart Tokayev.