U.S. Backs New Berth at Poti Port with $25 Million Loan as Construction Begins
By Messenger Staff
Monday, June 29, 2026
Construction of a new berth at the New Sea Port of Poti on Georgia's Black Sea coast was formally launched on June 25, marked by a ceremonial groundbreaking attended by Georgian Dream officials and the U.S. chargé d'affaires, hours after Washington announced a second loan agreement worth USD 25 million to support the project.
The loan was issued by the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to the local company Pace Group, which operates eight berths and the Pace terminal in Poti. The DFC previously backed the first phase of the port through a USD 50 million loan via its predecessor body, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, which opened in 2022.
The U.S. Embassy said the new berth "will significantly increase bulk cargo handling capacity" and that the port's annual capacity would grow by one million tonnes upon completion, reaching three million tonnes in total, according to Economy Minister Mariam Kvrivishvili. She added that the project would create 50 new jobs.
The expansion is framed by both sides as an investment in the Middle Corridor, also known as the Trans-Caspian Corridor, a trade route linking China and Central Asia to Europe via Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey that bypasses Russia. Interest in the route has grown since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said at the ceremony that the project shows "cooperation based on trust, shared values, and sustainable development objectives always delivers tangible results," and described the port expansion as a step toward making Georgia a "regional logistics hub." U.S. Acting Ambassador Alan Purcell said the investment reaffirms American commitment to Georgia's role in regional connectivity and referenced the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) as a further vehicle for strengthening those ties.
Pace International President Ioseb Dolidze said the second phase would allow the terminal to handle mineral fertilizers from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Georgia, which he called significant for "both the region and global food security."
The announcement comes amid uncertainty over the separate Anaklia deep-sea port project and related Chinese investment plans on Georgia's Black Sea coast.
