The Minister of Economy Levan Davitashvili declares, the Government of Georgia has reached an agreement with Poti Port Operator Company APM on the conditions for the construction of a new terminal. The minister does not specify details of the agreement but notes that the investor must start the port expansion project.
Negotiations between the APM Terminals and the international law firm hired by the government have been going on for several years. Despite the statement of the Minister of Economy, it is not known whether the negotiations have officially ended or not. The project provides an investment of up to USD 200 million.
"We have regular communication with APM. We have actually agreed on all the terms and I think that these details that interested the Poti Port have actually been decided in their favor. From our side, there is full support, so that the Port of Poti can expand, if they are interested. It is the investor's decision how much to invest," said Levan Davitashvili.
The expansion project will involve the development of a 1,800m-long breakwater and a quay with a depth of 13.5m. The 400m-long multipurpose quay will support the loading/unloading of dry bulk cargo. The new berth is expected to have a capacity to handle 9,000 TEU container ships.
The length of new marine terminal totals 260 meters with a water depth of 13 meters. This allows the port to offer services to the larger capacity vessels and provide faster rotation, which improves the supply chain.
