Politics Ukraine resumes ferry service to Georgia
Despite regular Russian air strikes, Ukraine is planning to resume a ferry connection to Georgia in the Black Sea. On July 9, the rail ferry "Kaunas" is to set sail from the Ukrainian port of Chornomorsk to Batumi in Georgia, Ukrainian and Georgian media reported on Thursday, citing the ferry company's timetable. The ship will sail under the flag of Panama. The connection will then be operated once a week.
20.06.2024, 17:19
SDA
The ship will need 60 hours to cover the distance of over 1000 kilometers. The ferry in use was delivered by the shipyard in Wismar in 1989. It offers space for 250 passengers and can also transport up to 49 rail cars and 50 articulated trucks. According to media reports, one aim of the connection is to intensify trade with the three Caucasus republics of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.
Ukraine has been fending off a Russian invasion for over two years. When the war began, shipping traffic to Ukrainian ports came to a standstill. However, since the Russian Black Sea fleet was pushed out of the western Black Sea, the three Ukrainian Black Sea ports in the greater Odessa area are once again being used by freighters. The ships are keeping to a corridor designated by Kiev.
Cargo throughput in the first five months of 2024 reached almost 46 million tons, but is still almost a fifth below the pre-war level. Russia attacks targets along the Ukrainian Black Sea coast with drones and missiles on an almost daily basis.
