Three companies and one consortium remain in the race to lease Poti Port and 400 hectares of adjacent land for 49 years so as to create a free economic zone, the Georgian Ministry of Economy said on January 25. Twelve companies had initially bid. 

The bidders are:

• consortium of UAE’s Dubai Ports and Jafza free economic zone in Dubai;
• Investment Authority of the UAE’s Ras Al Khaimah emirate;
• Germany’s Hamburger Hafen und Logistik;
• the UK-based Hutchison Westports, which is part of the Hutchison Port Holdings Group;

Vakhtang Lezhava, the first deputy economy minister, said “competition is high.” “After studying all these proposals, we will give these companies additional time, till February 15, to offer additional proposals,” he said. “We expect to have very good proposals in one or two months.”