Kazakh-Georgian JV starts building multimodal terminal in Poti

ASTANA. Aug 11 (Interfax) - The Kazakh PTC Holding has completed the dismantling of old structures on the territory of a future multimodal terminal in the Georgian port of Poti and is starting construction work, the press service of the group reported.

"The construction of the port terminal will be the first Kazakh infrastructure project to be implemented in Poti, one of the largest ports in Georgia. It is a reference point on the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, which is extremely important for Kazakh enterprises in the current geopolitical situation, as well as for the diversification of logistics routes," Timur Karabaev, Chairman of the Board of PTC Holding, said at the capsule-laying ceremony.

In the first years of the terminal's operation, the main emphasis will be placed on attracting cargo from the Trans-Caspian and CASCA+ routes, which will allow for the handling of 80,000 TEU containers per year with a further increase in volumes, he said.

"Since we will be using multimodal technologies, that is, repackaging cargo from a universal fleet of vehicles into containers and vice versa, with the possibility of sending cargo across the Black Sea, our terminal will be able to "digest" up to 5.5 million tonnes of cargo, or up to 450,000 TEU," Olzhas Arykbayev, PTC Development Director, said.

The company estimates the total amount of investments at $15-20 million, with financing carried out on a parity basis by Kazakh and Georgian project participants. The active phase of construction will begin in September 2023, while commissioning of the first stage is scheduled for Q1 2024.

Earlier reports said that PTC Holding had signed an investment agreement in early June for a project to build a multimodal terminal in Poti for the development of the Trans-Caspian route. To implement the project, the Poti Transterminal JV was created, in which the Kazakh side represented by PTC Holding and Georgian partners each owned 50% of the shares.

PTC Holding is one of the largest owners and operators of railway rolling stock and infrastructure in Central Asia. It provides a full range of transport and logistics services. The group, according to its website, delivers goods on domestic routes, as well as to China, Southeast Asia, Russia, the Eurasian Economic Union and the EU. PTC handles 15% of all transit container traffic in Kazakhstan, and owns a multimodal container terminal on the border with China at the Dostyk station.