Hamburg is looking into Armenia's dry port project in Gyumri

Author: Dietrich Schartner

In December 2025, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that the Port of Hamburg—one of Europe’s largest seaports—had expressed interest in the planned dry port project in Gyumri. This interest has grown noticeably, “especially in the context of regional transport and logistics projects,” Pashinyan said during a press conference in Hamburg with Armenian and international media representatives.

What is the Gyumri “Dry Port”?

The “Dry Port Gyumri” project envisions the development of a large-scale multimodal logistics and industrial park in the Shirak region, adjacent to Shirak International Airport, the railway line, and the major north-south transport corridor. The plan is to create a center that combines logistics, transshipment, production, storage, and customs consolidation, thereby developing Armenia into a central logistics hub for regional and transregional trade flows. The Armenian government plans to invest approximately $37 million from its own funds into the core infrastructure; major foreign investors are to operate and further develop the facility.

According to the project concept, the dry port would be connected to road, rail, and air transport, making it an integral part of Armenia’s transport strategy—for example, within the framework of the overarching “Crossroads of Peace” initiative. In addition to logistics areas, commercial and industrial zones, warehouse capacity, and a free trade zone are to be developed, which are also intended to promote industrial activities and local value creation in the medium and long term.

Why is the Port of Hamburg interested?

Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA) is a globally active logistics and port operator with a focus on port handling, intermodal rail transport logistics, and connections between sea and land routes. HHLA operates container terminals and rail networks in several European countries and also has experience in transit traffic to Central Asia and the South Caucasus regions.

According to the Prime Minister, representatives of the Hamburg Port Authority confirmed that their interest in the project is not merely theoretical but has become more concrete and active following recent discussions in Hamburg. Accordingly, “very substantial discussions” took place during the meetings between the Armenian delegation and Hamburg businesspeople, and an agenda for possible next steps was agreed upon.

Despite growing international attention, the Dry Port is still in the preparatory and negotiation stage. In fact, construction has not yet begun, even though a feasibility study was completed as early as 2023 and investment plans are in place. To date, there are no binding timelines for the start of construction, nor have operators for the project facility been named; discussions with international institutions such as the Asian Development Bank and potential partners from the Middle East are ongoing.

The Port of Hamburg’s interest thus provides a fresh economic impetus for the project, which could demonstrate that European logistics players are ready to consider new opportunities in the Caucasus beyond Romanian, Bulgarian, or Turkish projects. In a region where the expansion of cross-border transport infrastructure has been a central economic policy issue for years, this could lead to a decisive step toward concrete implementation and internationally networked logistics.