The Tbilisi Dry Port is ready to get to work. Construction work is finished, and soon trains will operate in the brand new logistics hub. That should improve connectivity in the Caucasus region.
The terminal announced its own opening on LinkedIn on 22 April, calling it “a major innovation in Georgia’s transportation and logistics sector”. The dry port says that it offers services such as port operations, container handling and storage, container block train operations, terminal handling by road transport and customs inspection. Trains will start operating in the Tbilisi Dry Port in May, according to Georgian media.
“We are now fully licensed with both Customs Zone Authorization and Railway Infrastructure Operation & Safety Certification, which means — reliability, expanded capabilities and high-class service all in one location”, the Tbilisi Dry Port says. The new hub has a 2,500 square metre covered warehouse, three internal railway spurs and new container reachstackers, among other things.
The dry port will function as a centre for the transshipment of freight to further inland destinations in the Caucasus region and CIS member states from the Georgian ports of Batumi and Poti on the Black Sea coast. Moreover, it will provide rail connections to Caspian ports via Azerbaijan.
Majority share acquisition
Earlier, the Emirati AD Ports Group acquired a 60 per cent share in the dry port. It explained that the terminal is located at a strategic location. “As a country situated at the centre of the Caucasus and located along the Black Sea, Georgia is a key destination linking us with our growing maritime and logistics assets in Central Asia and Türkiye, thereby enabling us to serve our customers with cost-effective, streamlined cargo flows and capture significant future trade volumes.”
AD Ports Group said that the dry port was supposed to have a handling capacity of 286,000 TEU, offer 100,000 square metres of warehouse space, as well as a car storage facility.