Caspian draft: ferries at 75–80% — OOG feels it first

On 8 September 2026 at Baku Climate Action Week, ASCO’s Alakbar Azizli said a company ferry from Kazakhstan now loads at about 80% — 20% less cargo per sailing. Similar draft limits apply in Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan’s Port of Alat.

Caspian Policy Center puts some Caspian vessels at 75–80% working load. Less cargo per trip means more sailings for the same volume. Corridor demand is rising: TITR volumes grew from under 1 Mt early-decade to over 4.5 Mt in 2024; Kazakhstan targets 10 Mt by 2028; China–Europe containers on the route were +30% in the first five months of 2026.

OOG feels draft cuts earlier than boxes: heavy/long units on lowbeds are sensitive to ferry draft and ramps. In an 8 Sep AzerNews interview, Rustem Bissaliyev (TransCaspian Cargo) said falling Caspian levels already affect oversized and heavy cargo on the western Kazakhstan–Azerbaijan leg, while dredging with Azerbaijan is underway.

Kuryk has been deepened (to about 8.5 m after removing >1.7 million m³); Aktau works toward 6–7 m draft by end-2026. Nominal terminal capacity is not ferry payload while draft caps loads. For OOG planning: budget weight/sailing buffers — a berth slot is not a full-weight acceptance.