International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) said its Georgia operation under Batumi International Container Terminal (BICT) is now servicing ADY Container LLC’s newly- launched multimodal feeder service.
The rail-sea service connects Asia to Europe via the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, also known as the Middle Corridor. It is designed to cater to the capacity requirement of the Middle Corridor, which has seen increased freight traffic due to the growing volume transiting through Azerbaijan.
“Majority of the cargo handled by the service are exports from China,” ICTSI said.
For the sea leg, ADY Container and Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company deployed a feeder vessel to operate the route between Port of Batumi and Constanța in Romania every 10 days. From Romania, cargo is transported by rail to different destinations in Europe.
ICTSI noted that more than 9,000 twenty-equivalent units (TEU) have passed through the Trans-Caspian route during the first four months of 2022 — a 30- percent increase compared with the volume from the same period last year.
“With the current geopolitical situation in Europe, ADY Container expects traffic through the Middle Corridor to further increase, which would also require adding more vessels to service the route,” ICTSI said.
BICT, a wholly-owned ICTSI Group company, has been active in the port of Batumi since 2007 when it acquired a 48-year lease to operate a multi-purpose terminal with exclusivity for container handling.
