How is the construction of the deep-water port in Anaklia progressing?

Work on the construction of maritime infrastructure at the port of Anaklia in western Georgia, which involves deepening the seaport's water area and building a breakwater, is proceeding according to plan, the press service of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development reported.

Construction of the deep-water port began in September 2024. The construction of the deep-water port's maritime infrastructure is being carried out by the largest Belgian company, Jan De Nul, with which the state has signed an agreement. According to the contract, the maritime works will be completed in three years.

Mobilization work, project research, and detailed design are in the final stages. By October 2025, a temporary pier will be equipped, through which boulders and concrete cross-shaped blocks (so-called X-blocks) will be distributed to various sections of the breakwater during construction.

According to the Ministry of Economy, the design studies included geophysical, geological, and engineering surveys of the seabed in the port construction area, as well as modeling. As a result of the breakwater modeling, a basic design was prepared and an expert review was conducted, and the environmental impact assessment was updated.

In addition, a concrete plant and recycling equipment are already in operation at the construction site for the production of X-blocks. The concrete plant has a production capacity of 240 concrete units with a volume of 3 cubic meters per week and 40 X-block concrete units per day. They are stored in a special room at the construction site using two installed 25-ton jib cranes.

Production of 7 cubic meter concrete cross-shaped blocks will begin in the near future.

The contractor has prepared the project/design for the first 650 meters of the breakwater, and the detailed project/design for the remaining section will be completed and submitted for approval by August 10. Bathymetric and topographic surveys are currently being conducted prior to the start of breakwater construction.

In the near future, modern GPS and UAV systems will be installed for full control of construction, as well as devices for measuring wave circulation and water turbidity in the sea.

The contractor has also begun mobilizing specialized equipment. In particular, 120-ton and 90-ton specialized long reach excavators will be sent to the port construction site in September-October this year. A specialized dredger and cargo barge have also been chartered for the construction of the breakwater channel, which will arrive at the port of Anaklia in October.

According to the agency, the second phase of the project includes construction and dredging works. The contractor submitted the project documentation to the Technical and Construction Supervision Agency to obtain a construction permit, which was issued to it this week.

The Georgian authorities have decided to resume construction of the port in Anaklia (Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region) on the condition that the state will own 51% of it.

The winner of the competition to select a private investor as a partner of the state in the implementation of the project was a Chinese-Singaporean consortium (the Chinese company China Communications Construction Company Limited and the Singaporean company China Harbour Investment Pte. Ltd), which was the only one to submit a proposal.

The Georgian government will sign an agreement with it no later than summer 2025. Active negotiations with the new investor are currently ongoing.

As Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze previously stated, the first phase of the deep-water port construction project will be completed no later than 2029. A total of $600 million will be invested in the first phase, and after its completion, the port will handle more than 600,000 containers per year.

Reprinted from https://sputnik-georgia.ru/