ARMENIAN BUSINESSES UNHAPPY WITH FERRY ROUTES
By M. Alkhazashvili
(Translated by Diana Dundua)

The Messenger, Georgia
Feb 7 2008

Arsen Kazaryan, chair of Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs
of Armenia, recently said that the new Kavkaz-Poti ferry route has
failed to offer real competition to Armenia’s other major Black Sea
connection to Russia, the Ukrainian-run Ilichevsk-Poti ferry route.

He said the Kavkaz-Poti ferry route, which opened last year, is
transiting low levels of cargo at relatively high tariffs, adding
that with its current capacity at 40-45 shipping containers, it is
not able to properly compete with the Ilichevsk-Poti service which
has a capacity of 108 containers.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian ferry company that operates the Ilichevsk-Poti
route is considering a new connection with the Russian port of
Novorosiisk, according to Ukrferry commercial director Vladimir
Chernievski, who yesterday finished a three-day visit to Armenia to
meet government officials and businessmen.