Cargo handling, passenger traffic increase in Georgian ports, terminals in Q2 - National Statistics Office

Georgia’s National Statistics Office on Tuesday reported a rise in both cargo handling and passenger traffic through the country’s ports and terminals for the second quarter of 2024.

The report said ports saw 4,311 ships dock during this period. The breakdown of ship types included 33.2 percent general cargo carriers, 33.2 percent liquid cargo carriers, 25.1 percent container ships, and 8.5 percent bulk carriers, tugboats, and specialised vessels.

Compared to the same period last year, the number of bulk cargo ships increased by 21.1 percent, while liquid cargo carriers saw a rise of 19.2 percent. General cargo carriers also experienced an increase of 11.7 percent. However, the number of container ships decreased by 10.7 percent, the agency said.

The report also detailed the nationalities of the vessels, noting that ships flying the Turkish flag accounted for 17.9 percent of arrivals, followed by Panama with 15.3 percent, Malta with 10.9 percent, and Liberia with 9.3 percent. The remaining 46.6 percent of ships were registered under various other flags.

Passenger traffic at Georgian ports more than doubled in Q2, Geostat noted, with 2,600 passengers served. Of these, 57.7 percent were incoming passengers.

In terms of cargo volume, Georgian ports handled 4,234.9 thousand tons, marking an 11.9 percent increase from the previous year. The cargo was predominantly general (44.2 percent), followed by liquid (33.9 percent) and bulk (21.9 percent).