Construction of deep-water port of Anaklia enters active phase - Georgian PM

TBILISI. Aug 5 (Interfax) - Construction of Georgia's first deep-water port in Anaklia has entered an active phase, and the commissioning of the first stage, as previously, is scheduled for 2029, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said at a government meeting on Wednesday.

"The construction of the deep-water port of Anaklia has entered an active phase, and according to the government's plan, the first stage of the project should be completed in 2029," Kobakhidze was quoted as saying by the government's press service.

In turn, the Georgian Economy Ministry said that the first dredging vessel, the Tristao Da Cunha, began work in Anaklia at the beginning of August. The arrival of the second dredging vessel is expected at the end of August. Dredging work is being carried out under a contract between the Georgian government and the Belgian company Jan De Nul.

It is planned that the seabed in the Anaklia water area will be deepened to 17.5 m, and at the following stage a 1.38 km long breakwater will be built.

The Economy Ministry confirmed that in parallel with the port infrastructure for access to the port, the state will ensure the construction of transport infrastructure including roads and railways.

At the beginning of July, the Georgian authorities decided to forego foreign ownership of the Anaklia deep-water port construction project and to maintain state ownership. The government expects that international companies will participate in the development of the port through the construction and management of terminal infrastructure. Investments from potential operators of the terminal infrastructure of the Anaklia port are estimated at $350-$400 million.

The new model for implementing the project to build Anaklia provides for nearly doubling investment in the first phase of construction, from $600 million to $1.1 billion.

The state will allocate around $200 million from the budget to complete the first phase of the port's construction. The Georgian authorities plan to attract loans from international financial institutions to implement the project.

It was previously planned that the owner with a 49% stake and investor in the construction of the Anaklia port would be a Chinese-Singaporean consortium consisting of China Communications Construction Company (CCCC, China) and China Harbor Investment (Singapore).

However, the participation of the Chinese conglomerate as one of the owners of the deep-water port on the Black Sea provoked a harsh reaction from the United States, which fears China's dominance in the Black Sea region.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Megobari bill in May 2025, which increased pressure on Georgia so that it would not give the port construction project to the Chinese state-run companies.

If implemented, Anaklia will become the only deep-water port in Georgia capable of accommodating Panamax and Post-Panamax cargo vessels, which currently call at ports in Turkey or Russia. The deep-water port will increase the capacity of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (the so-called Middle Corridor), a strategically important overland trade route linking Europe with Central Asia and China via Georgia.

It is planned that the capacity of the first stage of the port will be 600,000 containers per year (7.8 million tonnes of cargo per year). A free industrial zone will be created next to the port.