Abu Dhabi Ports acquires 60% of Georgia’s Tbilisi Dry Al Khaleej Newspaper

Abu Dhabi: “The Gulf”
Abu Dhabi Ports Group has completed the construction of Tbilisi Dry Port in Georgia, making the group the largest owner with a 60% stake.
Under this measure, Abu Dhabi Ports Group will own and operate an advanced multi-modal logistics centre, which includes a customs warehouse area and is linked to a rail network, which represents a a prominent milestone in the group’s journey towards global expansion. presence and increasing its role in connecting Asia and Europe. The project is expected to start operating in October this year 2024, as it is a major logistics center characterized by its strategic location on the Central Corridor, which is a promising trade route connecting manufacturing centers in Western Asia with consumer markets in Eastern Europe, benefiting from a group of sea and dry ports in Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia and Turkey.
Abdulaziz Zayed Al Shamsi, the Group’s Regional Head, said: “With this acquisition, we will become the main owner of this important commercial tributary. This step comes in line with the group’s efforts to achieve the vision of the wise leadership, which aims to support the process of economic growth, providing job opportunities and benefitting each other. As part of its strong commitment to strengthening global supply chains, and as it recognizes the importance of the Central Trade Corridor in supporting global trade, Abu Dhabi Ports will use its capabilities to ensure the success of operations along the main trade corridor. strategic importance and playing a broad role that is not limited to connecting West Asia and Eastern Europe. This is the latest step in a series of international strategic investments implemented by Abu Dhabi Ports Group.”
Logistics facility
This new center is a vital logistics facility connecting the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea, largely overlooking the central corridor. The project will include a number of integrated facilities, including a ship sorting station, warehouses and car parking.
The project represents an entry and exit port and a regional transit point for manufacturing companies, shipping companies and importers of container goods, vehicles and other goods, for distribution and storage purposes.
It will also provide direct access to westbound rail lines to Turkey and the Georgian ports of Poti and Batumi, increasing connections to European ports overlooking the Black Sea in Bulgaria and Romania.
Degrees
It is worth noting that the project will be completed in three phases, because the container handling capacity will reach 96,500 TEU when the first phase is completed, and it will include modern warehouse facilities on an area of ​​10,000 square meters and car storage. garden With the completion of the third phase, the project’s capacity will reach 286,000 TEU, and will include warehouses on an area of ​​100,000 square meters, and a significant expansion of the car storage yard. Additional plots of land have been allocated for development based on market demand.
The Middle Corridor is considered to be the shortest trade route between Asia and Europe, as it extends approximately seven thousand kilometers in length and can be traveled in a 10 to 15 day journey.
As for the current northern passage, it covers about ten thousand kilometers by land, and needs 15 to 20 days to complete, while the southern sea route extends to about 20,000 kilometers, and requires a sea voyage of between 45 and 60 days.
The central corridor is expected to contribute to significant growth rates in container handling, which is expected to reach 1.9 million TEU by 2040.