Belgian company wins tender to build Anaklia port in country’s north-west, says PM

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Thursday announced a Belgian company had been selected to carry out the construction works of the deepwater port in the country’s north-western Black Sea town of Anaklia.

He said the company, Jan De Nul, was “one of the largest in its field”, and was expected to commence work “very soon”.

Work continues to implement the Anaklia project in due time. The international tender has already been completed, and a Belgian company has been selected, which will carry out the works directly related to the construction of the port, including the works related to the widening of the harbor area”, Kobakhidze said.

Development of the Anaklia project is one of the main priorities for us. This project is of particular importance for the development of our country's connectivity function and for highlighting our role within the Middle Corridor [a logistics route connecting Central Asia and China to Europe via the South Caucasus] initiative. Everything will be done for the successful implementation of this project”, he added.

The Economy Ministry had previously announced in May that the China Communications Construction Company would be unveiled as the state's private partner for the project.

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In comments on the long-running developments around the project, the Prime Minister also thanked the Minister of Justice and employees of the Ministry for their involvement in an international arbitration dispute that resulted in favour of the state around its 2020 cancellation of contract with a former private consortium for building the port.

The lawsuit was submitted by Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze - founders of TBC Bank and now leaders of the Lelo opposition party - as well as other foreign investors for the port project who alleged violation of rights in the state’s cancellation of the contract.

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The state won the arbitration dispute regarding the Anaklia port project. It was crucial to protect the interests of the state [...] The [Government] was transparent about the Anaklia project when the Consortium failed to fulfil its obligations”, Kobakhidze said.

The Government created all necessary conditions for the Consortium to implement the project, but it failed to fulfil its commitment. Despite this, they filed an arbitration claim. However, the Ministry of Justice effectively protected the interests of the state, and ultimately, the truth about the case was established”, he added.

The Ministry of Economy also shared information about the Belgian company winning the tender, saying the commission had selected the “best company” to construct the port, a “crucial project that will serve as a gateway between Europe and Asia”.

The development of the Anaklia deep-water port is a priority for the Government, and it will only collaborate with highly reputable companies and financial institutions for its construction. Jan de Nul was selected by the tender commission, with the assistance of international consultants, and has been invited to start contract negotiations”, the body said.

Levan Davitashvili, the Minister of Economy, said Jan de Nul had the world's “largest specified fleet” for port construction work, including dredging and breakwater installation.

This universal maritime infrastructure will be useful for further development of the port in different configurations. We will be working on the contract with the company during August, and I expect to see active construction works in the Anaklia territory starting in September”, Davitashvili said.

He added cooperation with the company would enable the Government to launch the first container ships in the port of Anaklia by 2029, calling it an “important factor” in developing the Middle Corridor.

This will help us expand our port infrastructure, improve the infrastructure of the Middle Corridor, and enhance competitiveness. Undoubtedly, this will make Georgia and the Middle Corridor route even more appealing”, Davitashvili said.

The project is expected to boost Georgia’s economy, attract international investments, and create thousands of new jobs, the Ministry said.

The port is scheduled to receive its first ships in 2029, with an initial capacity of 600,000 containers per year and an estimated cost of $600 million.