The first grain shipment made by ferry link from Russia to Georgia

Agrimarket Consulting, Ukraine
March 24 2005

On March 23 the first railway ferry departed from Russian port of
Kavkaz to Georgian port of Poti. The ferry had onboard 18 railcars,
loaded with maize. The freight is destined to Armenia. The travel
time is 36 hours. According to press-service of Russia’s Ministry
of Transport, for the time being there are two tentative voyages
scheduled.

The agreement about opening rail ferry link between Russian port
of Kavkaz, located in Krasnodar Krai, north from Novorossiysk, and
Georgian Black Sea port of Poti, was signed on January 10, 2005 in
Tbilisi. The parties also signed an agreement about temporary rules
of operation of the ferry link and transportation of the freights.

The opening of Black Sea ferry operations between Russia and Georgia
is especially important in condition of absence of railway connection
between the two countries on the land during the last 12 years. The
railway services were stopped in August 1992, after beginning of
armed conflict in Abkhazia. The ferry link Kavkaz-Poti will be used
not only by Russia and Georgia, but also by Armenia, Azerbaijan and
countries of Central Asia.