The PTC Holding Group of Companies has signed an investment agreement with Georgian partners on the implementation of a multimodal terminal construction project in Georgia for the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TMTM).

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

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), which is extremely important 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 serious shippers, we need to rely on someone and something. In this sense, the work with the port infrastructure should be filigree. It should provide acceptance, registration, shipment 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, in fact, this is the end of the TMTM. If the TMTM starts for container trains at Altynkol station, the border crossing between China and Kazakhstan, then it ends in Poti or Batumi. Therefore, it is necessary to be present there,» Timur Karabayev, Chairman of the Board of PTC Holding, is convinced.

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

«Negotiations with Georgian partners have started since the beginning of this year.  The President of our country 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, PTC Holding decided to implement the project after visiting the ports of Poti and Batumi,» said Olzhas Arykbayev, Development Director of PTC Holding LLP.

The choice of Poti, and not Batumi, according to him, was due to the specifics that have developed in Georgia, according to which the port of Batumi mainly serves oil and bulk cargo, and Poti – container and automobile.

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

«It is planned to start procedures for the development of design and estimate documentation immediately after the signing of the investment agreement. In principle, there is already a project concept. Now we need to make it detailed and start construction. The object itself is small, its area is only 8 hectares, so you can build it quickly enough. If we talk about specific deadlines, then after the signing of the agreement, the terminal will be built within 4-5 months, its launch is planned in October-November of this year,» Olzhas Arykbayev said.

The fact that it is extremely important to unlock the potential of TMTM, which involves the creation of unified transport operators and the formation of a closed logistics cycle, as well as the active participation of private domestic business in this process, has been repeatedly said by the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev over the past year. In particular, during his visit to China in May, he explicitly stated that «the development of the Trans-Caspian route is important for boosting transit between Europe and Asia.»

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

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 is now a continuation of this process. New logistics routes pass through Kazakhstan, through the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia and further to Europe. Kazakhstan attaches great importance to the development of TMTM, especially recently. There is an instruction from President Tokayev to expand this route and load on it. Thanks to such businessmen who are making such a big contribution today, we will cope with this task,» he said during the signing ceremony of the agreement.

It should be noted that according to the business development strategy, the PTC Holding Group of Companies is already 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 companies in order to attract additional volumes of cargo in transit through the Republic of Kazakhstan. platforms. Over the past two years, the Group of Companies has registered subsidiaries in the Republic of Uzbekistan (Tashkent), the People’s Republic of China ( Shanghai), Republic of Turkey (Istanbul) and the Kyrgyz Republic (Bishkek).

«Our main goal is to take the cargo directly from the first hand, from the one who produces this cargo. In order, on the one hand, to give the best, most profitable 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,» said Timur Karabayev, Chairman of the Management Board of PTC Holding.

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 the countries of Europe and the People’s Republic of China.

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

«We always take a long look at the industry, we always study partners, competitors, infrastructure, bottlenecks for a long time. As a rule, if you want to do something big and 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, it may be the 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. Studying new routes, we look at the capacity of certain places, and where it is not so high, but it is quite realistic to upgrade it for adequate money in an adequate time, we are ready to invest there. Our position has always been unambiguous – to develop the logistics infrastructure,» Timur Karabayev sums up.