TBILISI, October 2 – Georgia’s Ministry of Economy has rejected claims that construction of the country’s long-delayed Anaklia deep-sea port has stalled, insisting the project is moving ahead on schedule.
In a statement, the ministry said preparatory and design works have been completed and a construction permit has been issued. Contractors are now finalizing assessments before breaking ground on the main building phase.
The port’s developer, Anaklia Deep Sea Port LLC, signed a contract last August with an international consortium led by Belgian company Jan De Nul. Dutch engineering firm Royal Haskoning DHV has drawn up the detailed design for the breakwater, while hundreds of thousands of cubic meters of stone have already been delivered to the site. The government added that access roads, communications, and concrete production facilities are already in place.
Officials stressed that media reports of a freeze in works are “false” and aimed at misleading the public. Technical oversight of the project will soon be handled by Georgia’s National Bureau of Forensic Expertise.
As Georgia’s first deep-water port, capable of handling the world’s largest cargo vessels, Anaklia would give the country a stronger position in the Black Sea, where competition between regional ports is intense. The project is also tied to the so-called Middle Corridor, a trade route linking China and Central Asia through the South Caucasus to Europe, bypassing Russia.
Anaklia deep water port is increasingly portrayed as a strategic project for trade across the Eurasian continent. If completed, supporters argue, it could mean a resurgence also for Georgia’s neighbors in the South Caucasus as part of a transit corridor between Europe and Asia.
