Construction of Georgia’s long-planned Anaklia Deep Sea Port has moved into a new phase with two Jan De Nul dredgers starting work on the access channel and turning basin, writes international Maritime and Logistics Portal Splash247.

“The Belgian contractor has deployed the trailing suction hopper dredgers Tristão da Cunha and Al-Idrisi to deepen the approach channel to 17.5 m, allowing the future port to handle panamax and post-panamax vessels. Dredging is scheduled to continue through the end of this year.

Jan De Nul is also working with local partner Prime Concrete on a 1,380 m breakwater designed to create a sheltered harbour area. That part of the project is due for completion by the end of 2027. Anaklia is being developed on Georgia’s Black Sea coast as a new gateway for the Middle Corridor, the trade route linking Europe with Central Asia and China via the Black Sea and Caspian.

The project is intended to give Georgia significantly greater capacity for containers, dry bulk and other cargoes while reducing dependence on routes through Russia and the Suez Canal.

The first phase is due to be completed in 2029, when the port is expected to handle at least 600,000 teu annually.

A second phase would lift capacity to at least 1m teu by 2035.

Jan De Nul is also involved in other Middle Corridor-related port projects, including the expansion of Kuryk Port in Kazakhstan and dredging works at Mersin in Türkiye.

Georgia’s government expects the first vessel to call at Anaklia in 2029”, - reads the article.