REGULAR FERRY OPERATIONS TO BE STARTED BETWEEN KAVKAZ AND POTI PORTS JAN 5 2005
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 18. ARMINFO. Regular ferry operations will be
started between the Georgian port of Poti and the Russian port of
Kavkaz Jan 5 2005, Armenia’s Transport and Communication Minister
Andranik Manukyan said during his visit to Georgia.
The first ferry has already carried 24 carriages from Kavkaz to
Poti. An Armenian-Georgian meeting is planned for Jan 10 to discuss
the terms of the ferry communication between the ports. “Judging
from the mood of the Russian and Georgian sides one can infer that
the communication will become regular Jan 5,” says Manukyan.
It should be noted that presently the Armenia-Georgia-Russia railroad
operations are carried out via Ukraine (Poti-Ilichevsk) as Russia has
had no ferry port on the Black Sea. As a result the transit fees to
Ukraine amount to 30%-40% of the Russia-Armenia cargo transportation
costs. The Kavkaz ferry port was first exploited in May 2004. Its
maximum capacity is 500,000 tons a year. But shallow coast is a
serious problem for the port as it can receive only small ships.