Information for fruit and vegetables business in CIS
The first grain shipment made by ferry link from Russia to Georgia
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.