Anaklia port’s first phase expected to be completed by 2029, PM

Construction of the breakwater and dredging works are under way at Georgia’s Anaklia deep-sea port, with the first phase of the project scheduled to be completed by 2029, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said on Wednesday.

The first ships are expected to enter the port in 2029, Kobakhidze said at a government meeting.

He described the development of Anaklia port as one of the government’s main priorities and said Georgia had opted for a landlord port model, under which the state develops and owns the basic infrastructure while individual terminals are operated by different private or international partners.

Kobakhidze said the decision had significantly increased interest in the port.

He also said the government had reduced the cost of an infrastructure contract from $204m to $153m, saving the state $50.9m after optimisation of the agreement.

“The construction work is progressing actively. The breakwater is being built, as are the dredging works,” Kobakhidze said.

Design work has also been completed for an 18km railway section connecting the port to the wider rail network, he said. The World Bank has launched a market study, with a tender for the railway infrastructure project expected to be announced by the end of the month.

Kobakhidze also highlighted the digitalisation of port services, saying procedures for receiving ships had been reduced from 24 hours to one hour.

He said the faster procedures had contributed to increased cargo traffic through Georgia’s ports, which he previously said had risen by around 30%.