When Will the Poti-Caucasus Ferry Start Operating?

The Armenian Ministry of Economy is still unsure when the Poti-Caucasus ferry service will commence. The ministry informed Sputnik Armenia that the delay in launching the ferry service is largely attributed to sanctions imposed on the Russian Federation.

“The operator of the Port of Poti is a branch of a European company (the port is managed by APM Terminals Poti, a subsidiary of one of the world's largest port operators, APM Terminals, headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands), and entry of Russian ships into this port is not allowed by them,” stated the department in a written response.

The Ministry of Economy assures that the Armenian side is undertaking necessary efforts to address the emerging complexities and to expedite the implementation of measures aimed at reducing additional costs incurred for the transportation of cargoes by ferry (or ferries) for the purposes of exporting from or importing into the territory of Armenia.

It should be noted that regular ferry services between the Georgian port of Poti and the Russian port of Caucasus were expected to start on June 15. However, this did not happen due to political reasons. The Port of Poti is managed by a Dutch subsidiary of APM Terminals, which must obtain permission from the parent company to greenlight the ferry service.

Armenia has long considered multimodal alternatives for cargo transport as an alternative to the Verkhny Lars. It is assumed that cargoes will be delivered to Poti by railway or trucks from Armenia, and from there by ferry to the port of Caucasus in Russia and other cities in Russia.

Exporters of fruits and vegetables will be able to benefit from the ferry transport. The ferry has a capacity of 50 trucks and 40 wagons. Furthermore, the government of Armenia will fully subsidize ferry costs for businesses for the first 6 months.