The first phase of transporting oversized and heavy lift (OSHL) equipment has begun as part of the construction of a polyethylene plant in the Atyrau region. The 2026 sea and river navigation season will be a key period for the project’s logistics.
The first batch of equipment for the future plant’s pyrolysis unit is already en route. The total cargo weight is 11,760 freight tons (equivalent to the load of approximately 200 fully loaded railway wagons). The shipment includes 9 units of process vessels, including reactors, separators and columns.
The logistics operation started on March 13 with the loading of equipment onto a sea vessel at the Port of Shanghai. The transportation route is notable for its complexity and length: the vessel will sail to the Turkish Port of Haydarpaşa, where the cargo will be transferred to two river-sea vessels. From there, the shipment will pass through the Volga–Don shipping canal, cross the Caspian Sea, and arrive at the Kazakh port of Ersai. The expected arrival time is June 2026.
The largest item in the first shipment is the Wet Flare Knock Out Drum. It weighs 347 tons and exceeds 43 meters in length, comparable to the height of a 12-storey building.
Alongside imported deliveries, the manufacturing of heavy lift equipment is also underway in Kazakhstan. This year, the AtyrauNefteMash plant plans to complete the production of columns weighing 1,470 and 700 tons and deliver them to the construction site. These will be among the largest structures of the future plant.
The use of high-technology components from global manufacturers reflects the uniqueness of the technological processes that will be implemented at the future facility.
