NYK Holding Europe B.V., a division of maritime transport and logistics giant NYK Group, has taken total ownership of the Tranco Terminal in Kazakhstan. Business began on January 15 under a new name: NYK Auto Logistics (Kazakhstan). Capital investment stands at KZT 514m ($3.3m).
In 2010, the company took a 25% stake in Tranco, which is the largest car terminal in the central Asian republic. At that time the company established a foothold in the country and used its subsidiary NYK Logistics Rus to expand the Tranco business by providing car terminal services to local customers.
Passenger car and light vehicle sales are increasing in the country, led by Lada and Toyota. Uz-Daewoo, Hyundai and Kia are also in the top five. According to the Association of Kazakhstan Auto Business, sales in November last year increased by 60.6 % to just more than 15,700 units and for the first 11 months of 2013 the car market grew by 78.6%, with sales reaching above 139,000 units.
NYK said it would attempt to accommodate that strong demand by improving the domestic bases and enhancing the speed of transport services between them.
The new company will be operating the car terminal and domestic transport within Kazakhstan, as well as providing added value services, including pre-delivery inspection (PDI) and customs clearance.
It also said it would be aiming to accommodate the demand for transnational inland transport from China and Russia. Kazakhstan lies within the official customs border with Russia and Belarus.
