According to Georgia’s Ministry of Economy, dredging works are set to begin in Anaklia.
The dredging vessel Tristão da Cunha has already arrived in Georgia’s territorial waters and, once it completes the required procedures, will begin work on the port’s breakwater channel.
“The seabed in Anaklia’s maritime area will be dredged to a depth of 17.5 metres. In the next phase, a 1,380-metre-long breakwater will be constructed. These works are being carried out in line with the pre-approved development plan.
Construction is progressing actively in the future port’s maritime area. The works are being carried out by internationally renowned Belgian company Jan De Nul N.V., one of the world’s leading marine engineering contractors, in partnership with Georgian companies,” the ministry said in an official statement.
This is the second time since the launch of the Anaklia Deep Sea Port project that a dredging vessel of this scale has arrived in Anaklia.
The first was Athena, one of the world’s largest dredging vessels, which arrived at the future port site in September 2018.
ფსკერის დამაღრმავებელი გემი “ათენას” შემოსვლა ანაკლიაში, 2018 წლის სექტემბერი
According to publicly available information, Athena operated in Anaklia for several months.
During those dredging works, around 5 million cubic metres of sand were removed from the seabed, raising a 110-hectare area by eight metres using the reclaimed material.
However, the original Anaklia Deep Sea Port project, led by the Anaklia Development Consortium (ADC), officially collapsed in early 2020 after years of disputes and mutual accusations between the consortium and the Georgian government.
On 6 July 2026, Economy and Sustainable Development Minister Mariam Kvrivishvili announced that the Anaklia Deep Sea Port would instead be developed under a landlord model, under which the state will retain ownership of the core maritime and port infrastructure.
“The landlord model will allow the state to develop Anaklia Port in partnership with multiple countries and companies simultaneously, rather than relying on a single partner. This will create the best conditions for attracting cargo and ensuring the port operates at maximum efficiency,”the ministry said in an official statement.
The ministry also said that new transport infrastructure, including a highway and railway connection to Anaklia, is planned.
Notably, before the government decided to proceed under the landlord model, a Chinese-Singaporean consortium emerged as the only remaining bidder at the final stage of the 2024 international tender for the project.
However, no contract was ever signed with the consortium.
For two years, successive economy ministers — first Levan Davitashvili and later Mariam Kvrivishvili — repeatedly told the public that an agreement with the Chinese-Singaporean consortium would be signed soon.
As recently as 22 May this year, Kvrivishvili said she remained optimistic and hoped that a Chinese state-owned company would become the main investor in the Anaklia Port project.
