AD Ports Group on Friday announced the signing of a purchase agreement with Inveco LLC to acquire 60 percent ownership in the Tbilisi Dry Port.
The Tbilisi port, a new custom-bonded and rail-connected intermodal logistics hub in Georgia, is currently owned by Inveco LLC and Wilhelmsen.
It is expected to be operational by Q4 2024.
The port is a key logistics hub situated along the strategically important Middle Corridor – an emerging trade lane linking manufacturing hubs in Western Asia to consumer markets in Eastern Europe.
The project, which is to be completed in three phases, will have a total handling capacity of 286,000 TEUs (twenty equipment units), 100,000 sqm of warehouse and an expanded car storage yard when all the three phases are completed.
Noatum Logistics to operate AD Ports facilities
Noatum Logistics, part of the AD Ports Group, will operate and manage the facilities, leveraging capabilities offered by the group’s cross-Cluster portfolio and drawing on the expertise and capabilities of Inveco LLC and Wilhelmsen.
Ahmed bin Ali Al Sayegh, UAE’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, said the UAE and Georgia signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in October 2023, which aims to increase the bilateral non-oil trade to AED 5.5 billion ($1.5 billion) in five years, while accelerating the economy recovery and secure vital supply chains.
“AD Ports Group’s investment in the Tbilisi Dry Port delivers on this objective, which is set to deepen trade and ties, develop global trade lanes, and generate market access opportunities for UAE and Georgian businesses alike,” he said.
Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, Managing Director and Group CEO, AD Ports Group, said as a country situated at the center of the Caucasus and located along the Black Sea, Georgia is a key destination linking the group with its growing maritime and logistics assets in Central Asia and Türkiye, enabling it to serve its customers with cost-effective, streamlined cargo flows and capture significant future trade volumes.
The Tbilisi Dry Port, considered a key logistics facility in Georgia connecting the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea, acts as the point of entry and exit as well as a regional transit point for manufacturers, shippers and consignees moving containers, vehicles and other goods for distribution and storage.
The project offers direct westward railway links to Türkiye and to Georgian Ports of Poti and Batumi, which further connect to European Black Sea ports in Bulgaria and Romania, while its eastern connectivity links with different ports located along the Caspian Sea via a railway corridor to Azerbaijan.
The Middle Corridor is regarded as the shortest trade route between Asia and Europe, covering approximately 7,000 km and requiring a journey of 10 to 15 days.
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