The Poti Port expansion project, a USD 300 million initiative aimed at increasing the port’s capacity, is experiencing delays, according to Zviad Chkhartishvili, Director of the Poti Sea Port Administration. Discussions on the project between the Georgian government and APM Terminals, the port operator, have been ongoing since 2018, but a final agreement has yet to be reached.
Chkhartishvili noted that meetings have already taken place with Minister of Economy Mariam Kvrivishvili, who requested two months to formulate a position on the expansion.
“The minister asked for about 2 months and promised us that we would definitely return to the negotiating table,” he said, highlighting the slow progress in official negotiations.
While the director refrained from formally commenting on the reasons behind the delay, he suggested that the Anaklia port project may be influencing priorities. Chkhartishvili emphasized that the Poti project is entirely a private-public partnership, whereas other projects may be competing for government attention.
He also stressed the strategic importance of timely completion, noting that delays could affect cargo flows from Central Asia and the wider region. “Delaying the Poti port means delaying the region and Central Asia… we must maintain the cargoes that originate from there because if we do not maintain the flows, they will be redirected elsewhere,” Chkhartishvili said.
