"We aim to begin Anaklia port construction works in June," - Georgia's prime minister
Anaklia port construction in Georgia
According to Georgia‘s prime minister Irakli Kobakhidze, the company to start the deep-water port construction in Anaklia is likely to be selected by the end of May. The prime minister announced that the construction work would commence in June.
“We plan to start infrastructure works from June. As you know, the government itself is investing in the development of the Anaklia port. Therefore, we will complete the procedures and plan to start specific construction-related works from June.
The procedures will begin in March. March, April, and May are needed to complete the tender. We can start the works from June; this is the clear plan the government has, and we will definitely follow this plan,” said Kobakhidze.
On December 12, 2022, then prime minister Irakli Garibashvili announced that the Anaklia port would be constructed with state participation and investor companies, with the state owning 51 percent of the port’s shares.
By the end of 2023, Garibashvili clarified that the construction of the Anaklia deep-water port would begin in spring 2024. According to him, the winning investor will be announced no later than December-January of this year.
The tender to select the state partner company for the port construction is in its final stage, informed the minister of economy Levan Davitashvili. According to him, the winner will be chosen from two companies. The minister mentioned that one is a Swiss-Luxembourg company, and the other is a Chinese-Singaporean consortium.
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The Anaklia deep sea port
The idea of constructing a deep-sea port in Anaklia came to the previous Georgian government [under President Mikheil Saakashvili], but the project’s implementation began under the current government.
In 2016, the Anaklia Development Consortium, one of whose founders is TBC Holding (owned by Mamuka Khazaradze, the former chairman of TBC Bank’s supervisory board, Georgia’s largest bank), won the tender. The tender was held during the tenure of prime minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili.
Later, relations between Kvirikashvili and the country’s de facto ruler, Bidzina Ivanishvili, deteriorated. Amid this tension, Kvirikashvili resigned as prime minister. The new government began to reconsider the decisions made during his term.
Mamuka Khazaradze, a businessman close to Kvirikashvili, also faced issues. A criminal case was initiated against Khazaradze over one of TBC Bank’s transactions. On January 9, Khazaradze’s consortium was stripped of the right to construct the port in Anaklia.
Anaklia is a strategically important project for Georgia as it will open a new route for cargo from Central Asia to Europe and vice versa.
The first Georgian deep-water port being constructed in Anaklia aims to become a serious competitor to the ports of Turkey and other regional countries. The construction of the port is also supported by the USA. Russia was against this project, and Russian high-ranking officials made several public statements on the matter.
Anaklia port construction in Georgia
