New agreements bring overall investment in Kazakhstan projects to USD 775 millio

AD Ports Group, an enabler of integrated trade, transport and logistics solutions, announced the signing and exchange of a number of diverse agreements to broaden its operations in Kazakhstan.

The exchange took place on the sidelines of the visit of H.H. Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi to the Republic of Kazakhstan.

During the visit, H.H. Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed accompanied by Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, attended the UAE–Kazakhstan Business Forum, held in the presence of senior officials, business leaders and investors from both nations. The forum aims to explore investment opportunities and strengthen efforts to increase mutual investments across key economic sectors, supporting shared goals for sustainable economic growth.

H.H. Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed and the President of Kazakhstan witnessed the signing and exchange of several cooperation agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) between public and private sector entities from both countries.

Building on its strategic partnership with KazMunayGas (KMG), the national oil company of Kazakhstan, which began in December 2022, Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, Managing Director and Group CEO of AD Ports Group, and Askhat Galimovich Khassenov, Chairman of the Board for KazMunayGas, exchanged a signed agreement relating to Caspian and open sea fleet expansion.

Under its terms, the Group and KMG are working on commissioning up to four shallow-draft container ships designed for use on the Caspian Sea, each with a capacity of 780 Twenty Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs), and contemplating investing with KMG in up to four Aframax crude oil tankers to increase support to Kazakhstan’s energy sector.

Additionally, preliminary Heads of Terms were exchanged by Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, Managing Director and Group CEO of AD Ports Group, and Nurzhan Marabayev, the General Director of SEMURG Invest LLP, to establish a joint venture to design, develop, finance, and operate the Sarzha Multipurpose Terminal (SMT) at Kuryk Seaport on the Caspian Sea. The SMT terminal will be designed to handle general cargo, containers, and dry bulk cargoes.

In addition to the terminal and vessel agreements, the Group also exchanged Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with three Kazakh organisations – Kazakh Invest, the nation’s trade development group, Chamber of International Commerce of Kazakhstan, and Special Economic Zone Morport Aktau, to explore joint trade development efforts.

Under the MoUs, AD Ports Group will work with each partner to assess opportunities to promote and develop trade, economic, and industrial cooperation between the UAE and Kazakhstan through joint events, information exchanges, and other measures.

The measures could lead to significant expansion of the Group’s investment and operations in Kazakhstan, a key central Asian trade nation that is a major hub in the Group’s strategy to redevelop the East-West Silk Road “Middle Corridor’’ into a modern, low-impact direct land corridor running from China, through Central Asia and Pakistan, into Europe. 

Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, Managing Director and Group CEO of AD Ports Group, said: “With these exchanges today, AD Ports Group is following the guidance of our wise leadership in the UAE, which motivates us to be pioneers in the development of new, emerging sustainable trade corridors. The steps we announce today are not only testimony of our increased interest in Kazakhstan, a major Central Asian trade hub, but also of the execution of our long-term strategy to develop the “Middle Corridor” land passage from China to Europe as a principal East-West trade route of the 21^st century. The Middle Corridor is the shortest, least environmentally impactful way to transport goods from China to Europe, and our investments reflect Kazakhstan’s growing role as an emerging export leader.

To date AD Ports Group has invested USD 175 million in Kazakhstan-based projects.

This is represented by a successful partnership with KMG for oil transportation, which has already delivered strong operational results. Since 2024 two tankers have transported 1,095,000 Metric Tonnes (MT) of crude oil within the Caspian Sea, and a joint fleet of four vessels has shipped 6,095,000 MT within the Black Sea.

A separate joint venture established with SEMURG Invest LLP will develop and operate a grain terminal at Kuryk Port with an estimated capacity of 1.5 tonnes of grain per year.

This initial figure, together with the planned investment for the future projects, estimated to be in the region of USD 600 million, represents a total commitment of USD 775 million, contributing to Kazakhstan’s economic development while enhancing regional security and stability.

Since 2022, AD Ports Group has invested significantly in Central Asia and elsewhere along the Middle Corridor, where its portfolio assets currently include an integrated dry port in Tbilisi, Georgia, and a series of general and container cargo terminal berths at the Port of Karachi in Pakistan, where it is also helping modernise the country’s digital customs and trade systems.