Pace Group: Revolutionising logistics with strategic Middle Corridor routes

From its origins handling humanitarian aid, Pace Group of Companies has grown into Georgia’s most established and advanced private logistics operator. The company played a formative role in establishing new cargo corridors linking Central Asia to Europe via the Middle Corridor, pioneering transit routes that continue to anchor its leadership position today.

Pace Group’s track record spans high-profile operations, including the transport of components for BP’s Shah Deniz II gas pipeline, opening a new route for aluminium oxide shipments to Tajikistan and facilitating urea movements from Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. “We built our businesses to provide an all-inclusive, high-quality service,” explains Co-Founder Irakli Kervalishvili. “Once clients experienced the reliability of the route, they stayed.”

Today, the company’s logistics expertise is complemented by significant infrastructure investments. Pace owns and operates the Poti New Seaport on Georgia’s Black Sea coast, formerly a fishing harbour and shipyard. Development of the site, which attracted $50 million co-financing from the US Development Finance Corporation, has included additional warehouses, upgraded berths and the use of high-capacity cranes to enhance operational efficiency. Augmenting this is a $35 million expansion programme; within two years, the port’s annual throughput is expected to rise from three to five million tonnes.

Beyond its port footprint, Pace operates a dedicated freight forwarding division with over 100 chartered railcars and six locomotives. Backed by direct agreements with rail and port operators across Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, the company delivers end-to-end solutions across the Middle Corridor.

Operational safety and workforce development remain central to this model. Pace enforces strict safety procedures and regularly trains staff on new-generation machinery through partnerships with European and US agencies. A custom-built IT system for cargo tracking is in development, and all new operational equipment is now electric, reducing emissions and future-proofing service delivery.

Now, Pace’s ambitions go beyond domestic services, leveraging opportunities under the burgeoning UAE-Georgia partnership. “Our main intention is attracting transit cargo, particularly by redirecting flows that previously moved through Russia to the Gulf,” says Kervalishvili. “This gives clients greater stability and independence in the market.”