PTC Holding Group of Companies has signed an investment agreement with Georgian partners for the construction of a multimodal terminal in Georgia for the development of TMTM

The agreement on the implementation of an infrastructure project for the construction of a multimodal terminal in the city of Poti was signed by PTC Holding LLP and Georgian partners with the participation of representatives of state bodies of Georgia, the banking sector and private business on Friday, June 2, in Tbilisi.

The construction of the port terminal will be the first Kazakh infrastructure project implemented in Poti, one of the largest ports of Georgia, which is a reference point on the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TMTM). This project is an extremely important infrastructure facility for Kazakhstani operators in the current geopolitical situation in the world, as well as for the diversification of logistics routes.

«When we talk about large cargo flows and large shippers, we need to rely on someone and something. In this sense, the work with the port infrastructure should be filigree. It must perfectly ensure the acceptance, registration and dispatch of goods. Therefore, we are looking at the Black Sea ports of Georgia. If we are talking about the maritime part of the TMTM, then this segment is the end of this logistics route. If the TMTM starts at the point of formation of container trains at Altynkol station, the border crossing between China and Kazakhstan, then it ends in Poti or Batumi. Therefore, we must be present there,» Timur Karabayev, Chairman of the Board of PTC Holding, is convinced.

The port of Poti is the final point of cargo transportation via TMTM on the Black Sea, and the construction of a container terminal will allow Kazakh businesses to participate in the formation of cargo flows, create favorable tariff conditions on this route for Kazakhstani exporters and attract additional volumes of transit cargo through Kazakhstan.

«Negotiations with Georgian partners started in early 2023. The President of Kazakhstan has been talking all last year and setting tasks for the implementation of infrastructure projects and the «expansion» of bottlenecks in logistics. As part of this policy, the holding, after visiting the ports of Poti and Batumi, decided to implement the project,» said Olzhas Arykbayev, Development Director of PTC Holding.

The choice of Poti, and not Batumi, according to him, is explained by the specifics that have developed in Georgia: the port of Batumi mainly handles oil and bulk cargo, and Poti – container and automobile.

As for the technical characteristics of the project, a joint venture of JSC «Poti Transterminal» has been created for its implementation on a parity basis, in which the Kazakh side (PTC Holding) and Georgian partners each own 50% of the shares. The estimated cost of the project at the moment is about $ 10 million. The terminal itself will be located on an area of 8 hectares, its capacity will be 80 thousand containers (in 20-foot equivalent) per year. The completion date is scheduled for October 2023.

«We have built the largest terminal at Dostyk station with a capacity of 320 thousand containers per year. In 2022, we «handled» about 100 thousand containers, in 2023 this figure will be increased. We have opened a company in Shanghai, and now we are registering a company in Istanbul. Thanks to our partners from Georgia, because the new terminal in Poti is a logical continuation of our work to develop the transit potential of Kazakhstan,» Daniyar Abulgazin, a shareholder of PTC Holding, commented on the event.

The President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has repeatedly spoken about the importance of unlocking the potential of TMTM in the form of creating unified transport operators, forming a closed logistics cycle, as well as the active participation of Kazakhstani business in this process. In particular, in May 2023, during a visit to China, he explicitly stated that «the development of the Trans-Caspian route is important for the activation of transit between Europe and Asia.»

«In addition, there are great prospects in the future,» the President of Kazakhstan stressed.

According to the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Georgia Malik Murzalin, investments in logistics are very important for Kazakhstan.

«The Silk Road traditionally passed through the territory of both the Kazakh steppes and the South Caucasus many centuries ago, and now we see the continuation of this process. New logistics routes pass through Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia and further to Europe. Kazakhstan attaches great importance to the development of TMTM. There is an instruction from President Tokayev to expand this route and load on it. Thanks to such businessmen who make such a big contribution as today, we will cope with this task,» he said during the signing ceremony of the agreement.

According to the business development strategy, PTC Holding Group of companies is in the process of creating an international network of subsidiaries («sales windows» and infrastructure projects) in order to enter into direct contracts without intermediaries with the world’s largest cargo owners, manufacturers and logistics platforms in order to attract additional volumes of cargo in transit through Kazakhstan. Over the past two years, the holding has registered subsidiaries in Uzbekistan (Tashkent), China (Shanghai), Turkey (Istanbul) and Kyrgyzstan (Bishkek).

«Our main goal is to take the cargo directly from the first hand, from the one who produces this product. In order, on the one hand, to give the best rate for the consumer, on the other hand, since we are a Kazakhstani company, we aim to work with direct shippers to form the largest pool of customers,» Timur Karabayev, Chairman of the Board of PTC Holding, assured.

An important area of development of the group of companies is the implementation of infrastructure projects, including the construction of transport and logistics terminals on the main international land corridors between Europe and China.

According to Timur Karabayev, the holding has historically developed on the basis of its own assets.

«We always take a long look at the industry, we study partners, competitors, infrastructure, bottlenecks for a long time. As a rule, if you want to do something good to earn the respect of partners and customers, you need to look at how you can change the current situation,» the head of PTC Holding believes.

In his opinion, the situation is always based on the infrastructure opportunities that exist. This may be the state infrastructure of trunk roads, and logistics infrastructure in the form of ports, terminals, loading and unloading sites.

«We have always built our strategy on finding bottlenecks, and where they exist and there is an opportunity to physically «expand» them through the development of logistics infrastructure, that’s where we invested money. It is she who ensures our competitive position in the market. Our position has always been unambiguous – to develop the logistics infrastructure,» Timur Karabayev summed up.

https://forbes.kz//economy/v_poti_postroyat_pervyiy_chastnyiy_kazahstanskiy_terminal/?