Uzbekistan plans to put a logistics center with an annual capacity of 500,000 tonnes of cargo into operation in the Georgian port of Poti in 2027 and will begin work in the port of Anaklia, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said on Tuesday at a meeting with entrepreneurs.
The president also announced the abolition of customs duties and scrappage fees on imports of trucks.
In addition, the value added tax rate will be zero for the provision of railcars during international transportation.
Transport Minister Ilkhom Makhkamov previously said that more than 60% of Uzbekistan's road carriers use the Georgian route.
As reported, a new multifunctional warehouse terminal in Poti will be built in the free industrial zone. It will cover an area of up to 30 hectares and will be built using funds from Uzbek investors.
The entire project will be implemented in several stages. At the first stage, a frozen products warehouse with a capacity of 1,000 tonnes will be organized. At the second stage, a closed general cargo warehouse with an area of 5,000 square meters will be built. At the third stage, it is planned that a closed bulk cargo warehouse with an area of 8,000 square meters as well as a terminal for oversized and container cargo will be built. Cargo will be brought to the new warehouse terminal from Uzbekistan and exported to Europe. In addition, cargo transshipment will also be carried out in the opposite direction. From Poti, European goods will arrive in Uzbekistan and other Central Asian countries.
Anaklia will be the first deep-sea port in Georgia, and its construction has recently entered an active phase. Total investment in the first stage of construction is estimated at $1.1 billion. The Georgian government expects that international companies will participate in the port's development through the construction and management of terminal infrastructure. Investment from potential operators of the port of Anaklia's terminal infrastructure is expected to amount to $350-$400 million.
The commissioning of the first phase (with a capacity of 600,000 containers or 7.8 million tonnes of cargo per year) is scheduled for 2029. The port will be able to receive Panamax and Post-Panamax class cargo ships, which currently head to ports in Turkey or Russia. The deep-sea port will increase the capacity of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (the Middle Corridor), a strategically important land trade route linking Europe with Central Asia and China through Georgia.
The Georgian authorities previously announced that they would keep the port in state ownership and decline to have foreign owners participate in the project. It was previously planned that a Chinese-Singaporean consortium consisting of China Communications Construction Company (CCCC, China) and China Harbor Investment (Singapore) would become the owner with a 49% stake and the investor in the construction of the port of Anaklia.
