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Georgia aiming for bigger slice of trans-Caspian transport trade

GEORGIA is seeking to develop its transport and transit shipment potential, according to the transport policy department of the Georgian Ministry of Economy, which said in an interview with Trend News Agency of Baku, Azerbaijan, that "it pins great hopes for the implementation of the trans-Caspian transport route".

Furthermore, the department said: "Georgia is a link of the Silk Road and the shortest route between Asia and Europe. In this context, the Trans-Caspian transport route is one of the most promising directions of transportation between Asia and Europe."

The ministry said that the containers were transported by rail from western China to Georgia for the first time in the beginning of the year as part of a joint project of Worldwide Energy Logistics (WELL) and Kedentranservice companies.

"The transportation took only nine days, which is five times faster compared to sea freight," the department said.

A number of significant infrastructure projects are being implemented in Georgia for the development of transit potential, including a new railway line Baku-Tbilisi-Kars to connect the railways of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. The ministry explained that "this will allow transporting cargo by railway from China to Europe and vice versa."

A railway modernisation project, started in 2011, is underway in Georgia and the project is scheduled for completion in 2019. Its main objective is to modernise the central (transit) line from Tbilisi to the ports of Poti and Batumi to enable higher throughput and faster trains.

In addition, work started in Georgia in 2006 on the construction of the 慹ast-west" highway, slated for completion in 2020. The project will enhance the central highway's capacity, improve traffic safety and reduce the journey times of land transportation in Georgia.

The Georgian government is also taking efforts to develop its port infrastructure. In particular, it plans to construct a new deep-sea port in Anaklia on the Black Sea coast.

The actions taken have already yielded results with growth in container traffic at the ports of Georgia. In 2014, the ports handled 446,972 TEU, or 11 per cent more than in 2013 when 403,447 TEU passed through its berths.