AD Ports Group, the UAE’s premier developer and regulator of ports and related infrastructure, has completed the acquisition process of the Tbilisi Dry Port, becoming the majority owner with a 60 percent stake.
The group’s rail-linked and custom bonded intermodal logistics hub in Georgia will begin its operation in October 2024. This will reinforce AD Ports’ role in connecting Asia and Europe through the Middle Trade Corridor, linking manufacturing centers in Western Asia to the consumer markets of Eastern Europe and efficiently leveraging a network of sea and dry ports across Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia and Türkiye.
Abdulaziz Zayed AlShamsi, Regional CEO, AD Ports Group, commented that, “We are delighted with the completion of the Tbilisi Dry Port acquisition. The agreement highlights AD Ports Group’s unwavering commitment towards strengthening global supply chains, and we recognize the growing influence of the Middle Corridor on global trade. We are fully focused on successfully operating this important logistics hub, which enhances connectivity between Western Asia and Eastern Europe, and positions AD Ports Group at the forefront of global trade. This is the latest in a number of strategic international investments by AD Ports Group, in line with our wise leadership’s vision, to advance economic growth, job creation and mutual benefit.”
Strategically located between the Caspian Sea and Black Sea, at the heart of the Middle Corridor, the new hub includes multiple facilities such as freight station, warehouses and a car storage park. It’ll function as a crucial point of entry, exit, and regional transit by accommodating shippers, manufacturers and consignees moving containers, vehicle and various goods.
The project will be done in three phases. The handling capacity is expected to reach 96, 500 TEUs, with 10, 000sqm of warehouse and a car storage yard by the end of the first phase. The project is will have a handling capacity of 286, 000 TEU, with 100,000 sqm of warehouse and car storage yard, after the third phase.
The Middle Corridor is considered the shortest trade route between Asia and Europe, spanning over 7,000 km. This corridor is expected to reach 1.9 million TEUs by 2040. The existing Northern Corridor spans over an area of 10, 000km while the Southern Ocean Route covers 20,000 km.
