Batumi International Container Terminal (BICT), International Container Terminal Services, Inc.'s (ICTSI) business unit in Georgia, has recently welcomed a new Asia-Europe multimodal service.

ICTSI said in a statement that BICT — its wholly-owned company — welcomed 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.

Increased demand 

ICTSI noted that 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. 

It added that the majority of the cargo handled by the service are exports from China.

"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," ICTSI said.

It added that from Romania, cargo is transported by rail to different destinations in Europe.

ICTSI said more than 9,000 TEUs have passed through the Trans-Caspian route during the first four months of 2022 – a 30% increase compared to 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.

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.