Georgia's seaports closed due to bad weather
TBILISI. Jan 19 (Interfax) - A storm warning has been declared on the Georgian sea coast, with all three of the country's seaports (Poti, Batumi and Kulevi) being closed, spokesperson for Sea Transport Agency Nanuka Aroshidze told reporters on Tuesday.
"At this point all three Georgian ports have been closed due to the strong gale and storm at sea," Aroshidze said.
According to meteorologists, the sea force off the Georgian coast is currently at 3-4 points. Later in the evening and overnight, however, a storm of up to force 5 has been forecast. Lower wind forces and milder weather in coastal regions are now expected starting from January 21.
The port of Poti, the largest seaport in Georgia, has been run by APM Terminals, part of Denmark's expedition group AP Moller-Maersk, since April 2011. The port of Batumi is under long-term management by Batumi Industrial Holdings Ltd, a subsidiary of Kazakhstan's KazTransOil JSC since February 2008. The port of Kulevi, via which petroleum and oil products are only trans-shipped, is controlled by SOCAR, Azerbaijan's state oil company.