Tamar Ioseliani, Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, said the government is actively working with the private sector to increase port capacity. She made the statement in response to a question from BMG.
Asked why the Poti Port expansion project has been delayed and when a decision might be made, Ioseliani did not provide a specific answer.
“We are actively cooperating with the private sector to increase capacity. APM Terminals has decided to invest in equipment upgrades, which it is implementing in coordination with the relevant technical regulator. The New Poti Sea Port is also expanding, with its second phase already planned. This will add further maritime capacity. We maintain close communication with the private sector and see this as a good example of public-private cooperation. We do not see any challenges in this regard,” Ioseliani said.
The $300 million Poti Port expansion project remains unresolved, despite discussions between port operator APM Terminals and the Georgian government dating back to 2018. Zviad Chkhartishvili, head of the Poti Sea Port administration, recently said the port was approaching its capacity limit and that the Economy Ministry was ready to resume negotiations on long-term expansion plans by the end of the year.
