Key port information can also be found at: Maritime Database Website 

Port Overview

Being a landlocked country and the subject of a trade embargo by 2 of its 4 neighbours, the Georgian ports Poti and Batumi on the Black Sea coast provides access for the majority of shipments to Armenia. 

Port Poti is on a plain, where the Rioni River empties into the Black Sea, 265 km northwest of Tbilisi, with its geographical location represents a crossroad of the Caucasian corridor. 

Nowadays the port is equipped with modern cargo handling facilities and in line with the European standards. The port has open and closed warehouses, supportive constructions, 8 cargo handling complex located at 15 berths of the “northern port” and “inner basin”, passenger station and berths for fishing fleet. Sea Port of Poti has all conditions to satisfy client’s different requirements regarding cargo and passenger carriage. 

Port website: Port of Poti Website 

Port Picture 

Plans for the port in future can be found in this video on YouTube. 

Description and Contacts of Key Companies 

For information on Port of Poti contact details, please see the following link: Port of Poti Website 

Port Performance  

Discharge Rates and Terminal Handling Charges 

Port tariffs are determined in accordance with the Maritime Code of Georgia, Civil Code of Georgia, Georgian law and other legislative acts relating to transport rules and regulations according to the legislative normative act.

Tariffs are established according to the vessel conditional volume, which is determined with international measurement certificate or according to - LOA of vessel, breadth and molded depth.

Barges, or floating objects combination volumes are determined as sum of separate elements. All charges for services should be paid by forwarder (ship-owner, freighter) or by vessel agent before any vessel leaves from port. In the case of non-payment of service tariffs and fines, the Port Administration Office will provide written notice and the Harbour Master who is permitted to refuse permission for the vessel to leave the port. Lighter ships, which carry out loading operations on internal and external roadstead, pay tariffs according to the lighter volume, which will be given at time of vessel call in port and will receive at time of leaving the port.

Services which are conducted during holidays incur a 25% surcharge for every vessel 

Holidays are defined according to the labour law of Georgia. All kinds of service should be in detail decoded in the bill presented to ship-owner, included service carried out during the holidays. For the calculation of service fees, times rounded-up for each 30 minutes. Therefore, less than 30 minutes will be counted as half an hour and more than 30 minutes will be charged as 1 hour. Payment of tonnage, channel, berthing, sanitary inspection service and watchman tariffs are carried out once and will be paid per operation, by which a vessel arrived to the port. The navigation regimes are established for tariff award: 

National Transporting – refers to vessels under the flag of Georgia, which carries out a navigation in Azov and Black Sea Basin between the ports of Georgia and CIS. 

Vessels with privilege or national regime – refers to vessels, under the flag of Georgia that have concluded an agreement regarding commercial navigation and the vessels under the flag of Georgia as well, which carry out a navigation not in CIS countries. 

Vessels with regular regime – refer to vessels, under the flag of Georgia has not concluded an agreement regarding a commercial navigation. For all tariff calculations, for those oil carrier (OBO) vessels and tankers, that have double bottom, double board or insulated ballast tanks (containers), their conditional volume is multiplied on coefficient -0.85, in case the vessel (agent) presents the International Certificate (IOPP) - to avoid the sea from oil pollution.

Berthing Specifications 

General Cargo Handling Berths 

Port Handling Equipment 

Currently the Port is a separate business entity and is operating its own equipment as private company. 

Container Facilities 

The port has one designated container terminal (terminal No. 7) and each major/ international container lines represented in Port Poti such as Maersk, MSC, CMA/CGM, Zim, Happag Lyods have their own terminals outside of port. 

Key airport information may also be found at: World Aero Data Website 

For information on Armenia aviation contact details, please see the following link: 4.5 Armenia Airport Company Contact List

Domestic airports or air strips are not functioning since collapse of Soviet Union. Government is currently trying to recover at least one or two airports/ air strips which will be designated airports / air strips for Ministry of Emergency Situations, recently airport in Stepanavan has been passed to MoEs. However at this stage both runway and building has to be completely renovated. 

The executive state authority, administrating civil aviation in the Republic of Armenia is General Department of Civil Aviation (GDCA). The GDCA supervises aviation services and aviation infrastructures that operate in the Republic of Armenia, as well as introduces consultancy and suggestions on the state policies in the aviation sector to the Government of the Republic of Armenia 

The main objectives and functions of GDCA are: 

• Realization of the state administration in civil aviation and non-military state aviation 
• Preparation, development and negotiation of the principles of the state policies related to the rights of internal and international air navigation, as well as of international agreements referring to these rights and submission to the Government of the Republic of Armenia for approval 
• Definition, regulation and monitoring of the civil aviation activities, including the operation of airports and navigation services, as well as of the safety and operational requirements of ground equipment and various services in the sphere of aviation to ensure their compliance to the requirements of the legislation and the International Agreements of the Republic of Armenia. 
• Realization of control and monitoring of the operators of the civil aviation, as well as of the activities and provided services and their quality, the flight and aviation safety to ensure their permanent compliance with the current requirements of the Legislation of the Republic of Armenia 
• Regulation of the air traffic services, as well as aeronautical communication and aeronautical information services of the civil aviation in peacetime in compliance with the present Law 
• Development, approval and introduction in the field of civil aviation of the regulations ensuring fulfilment of the requirements of the International Agreements of the Republic of Armenia, Legislation of the Republic of Armenia, and the documents of the international aviation organizations, if the latter refer, or may refer to the objectives of military aviation, coordinating these activities with the Authorized State Government Body in the sphere of protection 
• In compliance with law, to issue corresponding certificates, licenses, and permits for all aviation activities; organization of corresponding examinations, tests and monitoring activities with involvement of corresponding experts as needed 
• Expert investigations of aviation accidents and incidents in the sphere of civil aviation (accidents and incidents investigation); analysis of the existing ideas on safety (security) issues and provision of the corresponding information to the providers of aviation services aimed at prevention of accidents in future 
• Introduction and implementation of the Republic of Armenia National Program for aviation security 
• Coordination of search and rescue services in case of the aircraft accidents, which did not cause secondary consequences 
• Collection, analysis and evaluation of statistical data on financial and production activities of aircraft and airport operators in the civil aviation sector 
• Bringing to administrative account the responsible persons for violation of the rules and regulations of flight and aviation safety in the sphere of civil aviation. 
• Implementation of other goals reserved to it under the Republic of Armenia legislation 
• General Department of Civil Aviation may realize the control of the aviation services and the infrastructure stipulated by the Concession Agreement only over the realization of safety and security requirements of ICAO and other international organizations to which the Republic of Armenia is a partner 
• Inspections with regard to the Concessionaires are realized only over the compliance of safety and security requirements of ICAO and other international organizations to which the Republic of Armenia is a partner. 

Procedures for Foreign Registered Aircraft 

Single non-scheduled flight may be operated to/from the Republic of Armenia upon permission granted by General Department of Civil Aviation (GDCA). To operate a single non-scheduled air service the aircraft operator at least 72 hours before the flight departure time shall submit to the GDCA an Application with attached necessary documents required for getting the permission. The Application for getting air traffic permission (single non-scheduled air transportation) shall include the following information: 

• name of the aircraft operator or the organization operating private flight, location, all numbers for communications; ICAO three-letter designator code of the aircraft operator and flight number; 
• State of registry of the aircraft; 
• Aircraft type, nationality and registration marks;
• Purpose of flight; 
• Route of the flight (entry and exit points) in the airspace of the Republic of Armenia; Departure aerodrome, arrival aerodrome in the Republic of Armenia, final aerodrome; Type of traffic (Passenger, cargo, combined); 
• Load of the aircraft (number of passengers, weight and nature of cargo); Date and time of the flight operation; 
• Standard equipment of the aircraft; 
• Form of payment for services and fees. In case of non cash payment, indicate the name of the bank and the account number; The following documents shall be attached to the Application; 
• copy of Air Operator Certificate with attached Annexes or special supplementary regulations on operations; 
• copy of permission (license) granted by the aeronautical authorities of the State of registration of the aircraft operator for operation of the route mentioned in the Application, if an issuance of such a document is prescribed by the legislation of this State; 
• copy of airworthiness certificate and registration certificates of the aircraft, intended for air transportation mentioned in the Application; 
• purpose of air transportation, data about the passengers (name, surname, citizenship and meeting party) and/or cargo (type of cargo, weight, nature, consignee and consignor) transported; 
• copies of insurance certificates for passengers, baggage, cargo, third party liabilities, intended for air transportation; 

NOTE: ALL COPIES OF ABOVE DOCUMENTS SHALL BE CERTIFIED BY THE NOTARY OR THE CEO OF THE AIRCRAFT OPERATOR. 

The GDCA may request additional documents or other information not specified in para above. The application shall be written in Armenian or Russian or English language. The application shall be made by the aircraft operator. 

The operator intending to perform non-scheduled flights to/from the Republic of Armenia shall submit application to GDCA for permission to carry out such operations not less than: for series of non-scheduled flights - 14 full working days, and, for a single non-scheduled flight - 72 hours prior to the intended time of operation. Applications for such permits shall be submitted to the General Department of Civil Aviation. 

Non-scheduled flights of foreign civil aircraft transiting the airspace of the Republic of Armenia without landing at the airports of the Republic of Armenia may be conducted without special permission. 

Armenia has a relatively well-developed road network, serving all areas of its economy with 257.6 km of roads per 1,000 km². Most of freight and passenger transport is made by road. The road network is 7,700 km long with 1,400 km of interstate roads, 2,520 km of regional roads and 3,780 km of local roads. Surface condition of these roads varies from excellent to fair, although all are passable. Many sections are dual carriageway. The southern half of the country is very mountainous and has only one single main road stretching from Vaik to Meghri on the Iranian border. Damage to this road due to an earthquake or landslide could severely affect transportation of supplies to the region. Secondary roads are in poor condition and local knowledge would be essential before dispatching any supplies along such routes. The average width of the main roads is from 6 to 8 m and the secondary roads up to around 5 m. The road surface is mainly asphalt. Most of the roads are open all year, however during the winter; the roads in the North (Shirak and Lori Marzes) and in the South (Synik) could be closed for shorter periods due to insufficient snow cleaning machinery. The heavy snow and fogs are mostly common from the end of January to the beginning of February 

From 1992 till nowadays road reconstruction and rehabilitation are one of main areas were government of Armenia is involved together with different international organizational and fund, such as World Bank and MCA (Millennium Challenges Account) and All Armenian Fund.  With help of these organizations all major roads and now even smaller road has been reconstructed and some portions even completely rebuilt. Such as recently built tunnel between roads Sevan-Dilijan let to bypass certain mount passes. Overall road maintenance relies on Ministry of Transport and Communication of the Republic of Armenia. 

Distance Matrix 

Road Security 

Public Safety is of major concern to the Republic of Armenia established in National Security Strategy of the Republic of Armenia. High level political interest in improving road safety clearly exists in Armenia, with the ambition to achieve the good practice road safety levels found in Europe. Armenia is firmly committed to improving its safety performance. In December 2005, a Presidential decree formed a multi-agency Task Force to develop proposals to address traffic management and safety issues and to develop proposals to reform the provision of traffic safety management services provided by the traffic police. 

The vehicle fleet in Armenia is old (12 years on average) and of relatively poor safety quality, however at least 10,000 newer vehicles are imported annually. Armenia is experiencing rapid growth in motor vehicle ownership and use. In the last five years the motor vehicle fleet increased by 30%, while the traffic carried by road increased by 38% (freight) and 61% (passengers). This rapid motorization is causing traffic congestion in Yerevan and traffic collisions to increase rapidly across the country 

There have been insecurity incidents on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan mainly in areas of Tavush and Gegharkunik regions, with several incidents on road between Ijevan and Noyemberyan, which passes close to the border and military emplacements.

In the winter due to heavy snows some roads, especially road from Vanadzor to Yerevan and Yerevan to Kapan might be closed for one or two days, in winter all trucks have to have chains to drive through mountainous areas.

Weighbridges and Axle Load Limits 

According to local legislation there are limits on certain axle loads:

• Single axle up to 10 mt
• Double axle up to 18 mt
• Triple axel up to 22 mt

Above these limits there are charges per km, which has to be paid at the border crossing, in case trucks are registered not in Armenia, and trucks registered in Armenia within 30 days.  

NOTE: For trucks crossing border, these charges are paid at the border to the customs office or at final destination before goods are released.

Road Class and Surface Conditions 

According to local legislation (Nº 112 dated, 12th Jan, 2008) there are 3 types of roads in Armenia. They are interstate, republican and regional 

Overview 

The Armenian railway network consists of 845 km electrified line, mostly single track according to 2008 info only around 500km is still in operational condition. Currently WFP is using railroad to import commodities from Georgian Port Poti/Batumi, segment of rail road is from Border Georgia /Armenia (rail station Ayrum) to Rail station Vanadzor. From 1999 to 2008 commodities were transported till rail station in Yerevan. 

All lines are electrified, electric power is 3kV DC. The area is mountainous, so several of the lines are heavily graded and have very narrow curves. The rail system is roughly configured as a "Y" and has lines radiating from a central point just south of Yerevan. 

The northeast branch roughly parallels Route M24 to Azerbaijan. About 85 percent of all goods used in Armenia are imported by rail, and prior to the conflict with Azerbaijan, most cargo came via this rail line. Closure of the line at the international border during the early 1990s caused disruption to the Armenian economy. The southern branch of the line extends south toward the Turkish border, where it turns southeast into Nakhichevan. The conflict with Azerbaijan has stopped service on this part of the rail system. 

From 1994 the operative portion of the country's rail lines was the northwest branch of the "Y," which winds through the populated areas of north western Armenia before crossing into Georgia. A short spur of this line at Gyumri connects with the Turkish rail system. However, a difference in gauge with the Turkish system means that goods crossing the Turkish border must undergo a time-consuming reloading process. 

In 2007 the Russian Railways RZD won the tender to operate the Armenian railways for at least 30 years, for which the name South Caucasus Railway South Caucasus Railways (SCR) has officially started business operations under a concession agreement to manage Armenian Railways CJSC (ARM). In this connection, by 1 June 2008, SCR, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Russian Railways RZD, received property owned by Armenian Railways consisting of 2,000 freight wagons, 58 passenger coaches, 85 locomotives and 30 electric trains 

A feasibility study is under way into the building of a 316 km single-track electrified railway linking the existing network with Gavar and the Iranian border at Meghri, replacing a disused line which passes through the Azerbaijani exclave of Naxcivan. 

Railway Companies and Consortia 

For information on Armenia Railway company contact details, please see the following link: 4.1 Armenia Government Contact List

There are not any significant waterways in Armenia. As per the map, there are only two rivers which run through mountains and are not navigable. 

With recent business activities and finalization of the privatization process, all possibly available storage buildings have been completely occupied, especially in Yerevan. The majority are used as storage area for companies' own needs and commercial renting of storage space as a separate entity is very limited. 

It is difficult to find good storage with rail road access, especially for short term rent. Nowadays, some storage space is available in the north part of Armenia in the towns of Vanadzor and Gyumri. As a rule, almost all available storage area needs renovation. One of the recently built warehouse complexes is located in Gyumri; however, this warehouse currently does not have rail connection with the rail station. The branch was disassembled back in 1992. The approximate price per square meter per month is from 400 AMD (US$0.90) up to 800 AMD (US$ 1.95). The price varies from duration, railroad branch and etc. 

Storage in Sayunik and Vaoyts Dzor Provinces

The following sections provide information on storage throughout Armenia. 

Commercial Storage 

1. Warehouse Type: Open storage, container, rub-hall, silo, concrete, other, unspecified 
2. Warehouse Access: Raised-siding, flat 
3. Warehouse condition: Appears intact, appears damaged, under construction/repair 

Storage Used by Humanitarian Organizations 

Majority of international humanitarian organizations main activity in Armenia are development activities and very few of them do have storage or risk reduction programmes, some of them have small warehouses where they keep small stock of goods such as clothes or emergency packs. 

1. Warehouse Type: Open storage, container, rub-hall, silo, concrete, other, unspecified 
2. Warehouse Access: Raised-siding, flat 
3. Warehouse condition: Appears intact, appears damaged, under construction/repair 

Public Sector Storage 

Below are list of available warehouse who in addition are bonded warehouses, ministries usually have small warehouses which are basically for their own needs, Ministry of Emergency Situation confirm that the have warehouse, however they do not release information on size, capacity, location of it. 

Cold Chain 

There are only few entities who can provide cold chain warehouses one of major ones is at cargo terminal at international airport Zvartnots 

1. Cold Room Positive, Cold Room Negative, Refrigerator, Freezer, 
2. Compression, Absorption, Solar, Other, unspecified 

Armenia heavily depends on imported wheat grain, main source of importing grain is Ukraine, Russia and Kazakhstan. Grain importers market is very limited only 3-4 companies are importing grain. Main importers are also ones who have milling capacity. Those 3 companies are covering almost 95 % of local market needs in terms of grain/ wheat flour. 

Milling Company: Manana Grain Mill 

Milling Company: Bagramyan Mill