Improved Connectivity to North Africa & Spain From BICT

The Batumi International Container Terminal (BICT), part of International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) at the Port of Batumi in Georgia, is set to enhance its service connectivity to North Africa and Spain. This improvement comes with the upgraded Batumi – Gioia Tauro service by Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), starting in mid-April.

MSC's enhanced service will now make weekly stops at Batumi, with a new schedule that includes additional direct port calls and shorter transit times.

The updated route will cover the following ports: Tekirdağ, Türkiye; Derince, Türkiye; Aliaga, Türkiye; Marsaxlokk, Malta; Algiers, Algeria; Casablanca, Morocco; Sines, Portugal; Valencia, Spain; Gioia Tauro, Italy; Burgas, Bulgaria; and Batumi, Georgia.

“MSC’s enhanced service can help boost Georgia’s foreign trade by establishing a direct link with North Africa, Portugal and Spain. The addition of direct ports gives businesses access to more locations, opening new trade routes and providing more options for shipping goods between Batumi and Gioia Tauro,” said Nikoloz Gogoli, CEO of BICT.

A spokesperson from BICT highlighted that the faster transit times to and from Türkiye and the Mediterranean will allow companies to receive goods more quickly, thus reducing lead times and improving the efficiency of supply chains in these regions.