Blue Water Shipping is Busy in Tbilisi
Being involved in three large and complex projects proves that Blue Water in Tbilisi is flexible and offers comprehensive services in transport and logistics.
“In the end of 2013 we handled equipment for a large granulation plant here in Georgia. The cargo arrived in the Port of Poti and we continued the transport by truck and rail to the site in Rustavi. Especially the trucking required a thorough planning as there are many tunnels and bridges on the way from the port to the site. It was challenging with the largest element measuring more than six meters in diameter and being more than ten meters long – but we believe that a proper preparation gives the best results”, says Shalva Gabechava, General Manager of Blue Water in Tbilisi.
The Blue Water office in Tbilisi was established in 2000 and employs a staff of eight today. In addition to services for the oil & gas industry the office offers domestic distribution, air charters, courier service, port service and agency, reefer transport, stevedoring, customs clearance and many other services.
Blue Water Tbilisi has been involved in other assignments which proves, that it is a versatile partner. The transport of a dismantled onshore drilling rig being shipped to Poland was an assignment which included road transport with 78 trucks and transports by sea. For this project Blue Water was in charge of all loading operations in the Port of Poti – of which the heaviest item weighed 45 tons. The total volume was 1,525 metric tons/6,000 cbm divided between 102 units.
The positive level of activity has continued into 2014. In the beginning of February Blue Water Tbilisi received “MV Pacific Adventure” in Poti. On board were more than 4,000 tons of steel plates for a semi-submersible drilling rig. Blue Water are handling both the discharge and onwards rail transport to a shipyard in Azerbaijan. This assignment is an example of cooperation between Blue Water offices as the overall project was secured by Blue Water Singapore.
The Blue Water office in Tbilisi is part of a large network of more than 60 Blue Water offices worldwide. The special competences are a result of years of experience and to a large degree also because of the knowledge-sharing culture in the company.
“We learn a lot from each other. It is essential that we constantly try to inform our colleagues – no matter where they are in the world – of all the development, new methods etc. This way we are able to fully benefit from each other and can continue to offer comprehensive services in transport and logistics. We have many in-house resources and a close cooperation with each other, and in the Caspian Region we have a good set-up with four offices which are able to provide all types of services to the Oil & Energy industry”, says Shalva Gabechava.
