Batumi Sea Port Limited dates back its history from the Roman Empire, when during the rule of Adrian the III it was one of the harbours of the Roman market network.
Our coastline recalls Phoenician sail-boats, Hellenic and Roman boats, Venetian and Genoa galleys, Spanish and Portuguese caravels, Turkish feluccas and Russian corvettes.
Batumi Port was and is defined with its Geo-strategic and natural advantages as follows:
- Port is situated in natural deep water bay;
- Is well secured from seaside;
- Port’s naturally big depths practically have not been changing for a long period of time that allows accepting the big sized vessels;
- No access channel, which releases the vessel from channel dues.
In the second half of the 19th century, amid the ongoing formation of the global economic network, above mentioned advantages determined the fact that Batumi Port was granted a “Porto-Franco” (free port) status during 1878-1885 years.
The main factor of the development of the City and the Port was oil, transported via Baku-Batumi railway.
Many other demands increased with oil handling, stimulating the improvement of city’s infrastructure.
This fact outlined by constructing Baku-Batumi pipeline in 1900. It was one of the first oil pipelines in the world. In accordance of “The Prize”- the book written by Daniel Yergin, president of Cambridge Energy Research Associates, thanks to its Geo-strategic location and above mentioned advantages, the very first oil transportation in the world by means of oil tanker was carried out namely from Batumi Sea Port Limited in early August 1892 by means of oil tanker “Murex”, and she was first oil tanker in the world passed through Suez Canal in August, 22.
The authors of above said projects were such famous persons as Nobel, Rothschild, Samuel (founder of the firm “Shell”), Mantashev and others. So, Batumi Sea Port Limited has been known as the most important part of the Eurasian and international transport corridors from the oldest times.
Today Batumi Port represents a transport interlink connecting Europe with Asia and vice versa.
Port is connected with the countries of Caucasus, Central Asia, Russia and Turkey by roads and railways. Port has been used as main transit port for Kazakh and Azerbaijan oil handling either.
Batumi Sea Port Limited is able to accommodate the needs of clients dealing with various cargos, general vessels and passengers. Its services include loading and unloading operations, ship’s agency and shipchandler services, minor repair works, water supplying, providing safety and security.
In order to provide all above mentioned services the port owns a relevant territory and specialised equipments.
Namely, Batumi Sea Port Limited has 5 terminals: Oil terminal, Container terminal, Railway ferry, Dry cargo terminal and Passenger terminal.
They are equipped with appropriate cranes and facilities to handle cargo timely and qualitative and satisfy clients demands.
In March of 2002 Batumi Sea Port Limited was the first Port on the Black Sea which got the Quality Certificate of Bureau Veritas according to International Standard ISO 9002- 1994. In April of 2003 the Port was given the new Certificate according to the International Standard ISO 9001-2000.
And in April, 2005 the external audit by independent auditors of "Bureau Veritas " was carried out and the new certificate of conformity to the requirements of the international standard of quality ISO 9001-2000 for the following three years was handed to port.
