Batumi International Container Terminal (BICT), a business unit of International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI), located at the Port of Batumi in Georgia, will soon provide improved connectivity to North Africa and Spain through the enhanced Batumi – Gioia Tauro service by Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), commencing in mid-April.
MSC's upgraded service will include weekly calls to and from Batumi, featuring a revised rotation that incorporates additional direct ports and reduced transit times.
The service will call the following ports: Tekirdağ, Türkiye - Derince, Türkiye – Aliaga, Türkiye – Marsaxlokk, Malta – Algiers, Algeria – Casablanca, Morocco – Sines, Portugal – Valencia, Spain – Gioia Tauro, Italy – Burgas, Bulgaria – 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,” stated Nikoloz Gogoli, chief executive officer of BICT.
According to a BICT spokesperson, fast transit times to and from Türkiye and the Mediterranean Sea allow firms to receive goods more quickly, decreasing lead times and enhancing supply chain efficiency across the regions.