ICTSI inaugurates expansion of Georgia container terminal

International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) has inaugurated the expansion of its Batumi International Container Terminal (BICT) in Georgia.

The Razon-led ports operator giant said the expansion encompasses both the waterside and landside areas of the multipurpose terminal, which is intended to optimize the processing of existing cargo flows and install additional capacity to accommodate new business.

“This new investment consolidates and expands BICT’s competitive position. A comprehensive dredging program, undertaken in cooperation with Batumi Sea Port, provides an 11.5-meter draught in the port’s fairway and alongside BICT’s quay line allowing easy access for feedermax vessels at the port and making it Georgia’s deepest draught port,” said Hans-Ole Madsen, ICTSI senior vice president and Europe, Middle East and Africa head.

“On the landside we have met the stated requirement of importers and established a new container freight station complete with a 180-meter rail spur to facilitate cross-stuffing from containers to rail cars. Complementing this, we have also expanded container and truck storage areas, and following the completion of a new highway to Batumi, introduced a new, dedicated twolane gate complex for BICT,” Madsen said.

ICTSI said Batumi, unlike Georgia’s other major port, offers all-year round access without closures due to high winds.

The overall development program for BICT raises annual container handling capacity to 200,000 TEUs and boosts its general cargo and dry bulk handling capacities.

It also concurs with the Georgian government’s stated objective of growing Georgia’s role as a transport-logistic hub serving the Caucasus and Central Asia.

BICT, a wholly-owned ICTSI Group company, has been active in the port of Batumi since 2007 when it acquired a 48-year lease to operate a multi-purpose terminal with exclusivity for container handling.