Logistics Digest - July 2026

2026-07-30

■ On July 1, the Georgia-Uzbekistan Business Forum was held in Tbilisi. More than 60 companies from Uzbekistan were represented at the forum. According to the organizers, the forum will become a platform for direct dialogue between the heads of state agencies and representatives of business circles of the two countries. [businessinsider.ge]

■ International rating agency Moody's believes that Georgia's strategic location in the Middle Corridor will be one of the main driving factors of the country's economic growth. According to the agency, ongoing and planned major infrastructure projects, including the new Vaziani International Airport, the Anaklia Deepwater Port, the expansion of the Poti Port, and the fully operational Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway, will significantly strengthen Georgia's role as a regional transit and logistics hub. Moody's has left Georgia's sovereign credit rating unchanged at Ba2 and upgraded its outlook from negative to stable. [commersant.ge]

■ The upward trend in global shipping prices continues. Amid strong demand, carriers have also increased rates on the Asia-Europe route. Transportation from Shanghai to Genoa has increased by 10% ($6,360), and from Shanghai to Rotterdam by 7% ($4,682). [bm.ge]

■ Armenia independently begins the restoration of the railway to the borders of Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that preparatory work has begun to restore the Gyumri-Akhurik and Yerashgi railway sections. [jam-news.net]

■ Construction of 4,164 kilometers of railway lines is underway across Turkey. It is planned that the length of the railway network will reach 17,287 kilometers by 2028, and 28,590 kilometers by 2053. [facebook.com]

■ Georgia has successfully launched a digital permit system for international road freight transportation with Turkey. As a result, carriers between Georgia and Turkey will have the opportunity to use permit documents in a fully digital format. The change will significantly simplify administrative procedures, reduce the need for paper-based processing, speed up the process of issuing and controlling permits, and increase the efficiency of international shipments. [bp.ge]

■ With the addition of a new portable crane, the throughput capacity of APM Terminal Poti will increase to 650,000 TEU. Over the past 1.5 years, in response to increased cargo turnover, APM has increased the throughput capacity of the Poti port and, accordingly, the “middle corridor” by 100,000 TEU. [bm.ge]

■ Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan plan to create a joint fleet in the Caspian Sea. This is an expected agreement between JSC “Uztemiryulkargo” and the Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company (ASCO). Additional support measures for Uzbek exporters are being considered, including discounts on freight, the introduction of comprehensive tariff solutions, optimization of logistics procedures, and provision of priority services for containerized and export cargo. [europetime.eu]

■ Batumi Port’s cargo turnover increased by 8%. According to Kaztransoil, in 6 months the Batumi Sea Port transported 4 million tons of cargo, 324,000 tons more than in the same period of 2025. The report shows that, among them, 725,000 tons of oil, oil products and gas were transported from the Batumi Oil Terminal [bm.ge]

■ Romania's national electricity transmission system operator Transelectrica said that the Black Sea submarine cable project, which will connect Romania and Georgia, is entering the technical preparation stage. [gbc.ge]

■ Turkmenistan and Georgia have signed several documents that envisage expanding cooperation in the transport and maritime sectors. The agreements also include strengthening railway connectivity and improving transport safety. [europetime.eu]

■ A procedure for issuing and exchanging digital permit documents in the field of international road freight transportation has been introduced between Georgia and Azerbaijan - the Land Transport Agency reports. According to them, Georgian carriers engaged in international freight transportation, like Turkey, will also use the electronic format of permit documents in Azerbaijan. [bm.ge]

■ Kazakhstan and Georgia will begin the electronic exchange of permits for international road transportation in a pilot mode from July 22, 2026. The relevant agreement was signed in Astana within the framework of the meeting of the Kazakhstan-Georgia Joint Commission on International Road Transport. The countries agreed to issue and exchange permits for international road transportation in a pilot mode through the e-Permit digital system. [europetime.eu]

■ A new container terminal has been put into operation in the port of Aktau on the Caspian Sea. The launch of the new terminal is part of the expansion of Kazakhstan's transport and logistics infrastructure and is aimed at increasing the throughput of the Trans-Caspian international transport route (middle corridor). As a result of the completion of the first stage, the annual throughput of the port has increased to 140,000 TEU, and the service time of container trains has decreased. [europetime.eu]

■ In 2025, the turnover of the Georgian transport and warehousing sector increased by 9% and amounted to ₾11.4 billion. According to Galt & Taggart, there is 1.77 million sq.m. of warehouse space in Georgia, of which 1.26 million sq.m. is in Tbilisi, 0.34 million sq.m. is in Batumi; Poti - 0.17 million sq m. It is noteworthy that the highest average monthly rent, which is $ 6.3 per sq m, is in Tbilisi. In Batumi, the rent price is $ 5.4. [bm.ge]

■ In the first half of 2026, the total volume of cargo transported by Georgian Railways increased by 10 percent and amounted to 6.9 million tons, which is the highest figure recorded in the first half of the year in the last decade. [bp.ge]

■ Construction of the Baqty multimodal dry port and logistics park has officially begun in Kazakhstan’s Abai region, which will include container and grain terminals, warehouses, customs infrastructure and service facilities, including workers’ housing. The Baqty dry port will become the third railway border crossing between Kazakhstan and China after Dostyk and Khorgos, increasing annual cargo throughput by 20-25 million tons and handling up to 1 million containers per year.

The 2026-2028 project will attract $210 million in private investment and create 500-1,000 permanent jobs, with thousands of additional jobs created directly during construction and in adjacent industries. [The Caspian Post]

■ Georgian Railways has announced a $350 million international tender for the purchase of 45 new mainline freight locomotives. The World Bank and the Asian Development Bank are financing the purchase equally, with $175 million each. The project also includes the construction of a depot in Khashuri for the maintenance of the new locomotives [commersant.ge]

● Kazakh Railways (KTZ NC JSC) has carried out the first multimodal shipment of mineral fertilizers from Ekibastuz to the UK. The shipment was carried out using the Middle Corridor and included a combination of rail and sea transport. The route passes through Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan and Georgia, after which the cargo will be transported by sea from the ports of Poti and Batumi to the UK port of Felixstowe. [europetime.eu]

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