Gianti Logistics Transports Turbine Through Central Asia

By Simon West


Gianti Logistics has successfully transported a 120-ton industrial turbine from Georgia to a hydropower project in Tajikistan in Central Asia.

The journey, spanning some 3,100 kilometers, traversed diverse and challenging terrain including deserts and vast steppe regions. Uzbekistan’s road network presented formidable obstacles, while the final mile delivery inside a tunnel leading to the project site necessitated meticulous planning, George Makhatadze, general manager at Gianti, told Breakbulk.

Originating from a plant in Austria, the turbine, which measured more than six meters in diameter, was first shipped across the Black Sea to the port of Poti in Georgia, where Gianti took control of the move.

From there, Gianti deployed its own multi-axle hydraulic modular trailer to transport the unit across Georgia and Azerbaijan to the port of Alat, where it was loaded onto a barge and ferried across the Caspian Sea to Kazakhstan. The turbine then embarked on a challenging overland route from the southern tip of Kazakhstan, through Uzbekistan and down to the project site located at Rogun in Tajikistan’s mountainous central region.

“The roads in Georgia and Azerbaijan are OK, but in Uzbekistan, you cover 300 or 400 kilometers of really bad roads – lots of sand and potholes,” Makhatadze said. “Then Tajikistan was problematic because of the bridges. We had to reinforce three bridges with by-passes.”

The final phase of the move involved navigating through a narrow tunnel to reach the hydropower project inside a mountain. The tunnel, with its tight confines and sharp turns, posed significant challenges, demanding precise maneuvering and exceptional driving skills. Gianti’s engineers had conducted extensive route surveys and simulations prior to the move to prepare for the tunnel transit.

Despite the challenging conditions, the transport operation proceeded without incident, taking some 25 days to complete, including the 18-hour ferry trip.


Georgia-based Gianti Logistics is an exhibitor at Breakbulk Europe.