The Ukrferry shipping company has announced the increase of the number of regular ferry services on the Ilyichevsk-Batumi ferry line. The Greifswald and Kaunas Seaways ferries will operate two regular services from Ilyichevsk to Batumi on Wednesdays and Sundays and from Batumi to Ilyichevsk on Sundays and Thursdays from 4 October, the press service of the shipping company said.
Departures will be based on fixed timetables, regardless of the cargo on the ferries. Ukrferry believes that the regular services will bring the standard of cargo and passenger services to the European level.
If there is demand, Ukrferry plans to increase the number of weekly services to three and offer a package of services for tourists and travel agencies. In addition, the issue of organization of rail container transportation, including transportation on transit, by ferry and the existing container trains is being considered in collaboration with the State Railway Administration (Ukrzaliznytsia) and the Georgian Railways.
As reported, Ukraine recently resumed management of its fleet of train ferries (the Heroes of Shipka train ferry, the Heroes of Plevna train ferry, and the Caledonia car ferry), which were previously leased to Ukrferry. The ferry fleet was transferred onto the books of the Ilyichevsk seaport, but it may later be transferred to Ukrzaliznytsia.
