Authorities report on progress of construction of Anaklia rough-water port

The construction of the marine infrastructure of the Anaklia deep-water port is proceeding according to schedule. This was reported by Zurab Sichinava, Director of the Anaklia Sea Port Company.

According to him, the first stage of the contract, which includes mobilization, engineering surveys and detailed design, is being completed. The work is being carried out by the Belgian company Jan De Nul, which won the international tender. The established deadline is 970 days.

The construction is conditionally divided into two stages. Within the first, all the necessary permits have already been obtained, mobilization has been completed, and up to 80% of the rock material for the breakwater has been delivered to the construction site. The production of concrete "X-blocks" for the temporary pier has begun, which is planned to be completed by October 2025.

As Sichinava specified, the blocks are produced on site. A concrete plant and processing equipment operate on the territory of the port. Up to 240 "X-blocks" are manufactured per week, with a total of 14 thousand planned to be produced. Currently, they are making 3-cubic-meter blocks, and later, they will start producing 7-cubic-meter blocks. This will reduce logistics time and speed up the installation of structures.

The design of the first 650 meters of the breakwater has also been completed, and the design of the remaining part will be presented by August 10. Final bathymetric and topographic surveys are underway on site. A GPS system for monitoring construction, as well as equipment for measuring waves and water turbidity, will soon be installed there.

The second stage – deepening the seabed – has already received permission. Specialized equipment will arrive at the construction site in September-October. It is planned to be completed by May 2027. Then, a 1,400-meter breakwater and a deepened section of the water area will be put into operation.

The authorities call the Anaklia port “the project of the century,” but construction has been “stalled” for almost ten years. The Georgian-American consortium was removed from the project, accused of failing to fulfill its obligations.

In May 2024, the Georgian government announced that a consortium of the Chinese state-owned China Communications Construction Company Limited (CCCC) and Singapore's China Harbour Investment would acquire 49% of the Anaklia port shares. The investment agreement has not yet been concluded. The reasons for such delays are unclear.

However, the government assures that the first phase of the project will be completed by 2029, after which the port will be able to receive 600,000 containers per year. The authorities expect to attract $600 million for this part of the project.

Reprinted from https://www.newsgeorgia.ge/