On May 29, the Georgian Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, Levan Davitashvili, declared a Chinese-Singaporean consortium as the winner of a tender to build a deep-sea port in Anaklia, on Georgia’s Black Sea coast, at the border with the partially-recognized Republic of Abkhazia.
The winning consortium includes China Communications Construction Company Limited and the Singapore-based China Harbour Investment Pte. Ltd., with China Road and Bridge Corporation and Qingdao Port International Co. Ltd. serving as subcontractors to build the port itself.
Despite an extended deadline, the Swiss-Luxembourg company Terminal Investment Limited, also a targeted participant, did not submit a proposal for the tender.
This development marks the end of a prolonged political saga concerning the construction of Georgia’s first deep-sea port, which is expected to enhance the country’s strategic position on the Middle Corridor trade route bypassing Russia. The project had previously faced setbacks, including a halted attempt by a Georgian-U.S. consortium in 2020 amid legal controversies involving Georgian developers.
The state-owned “Anaklia Deep Sea Port”, holding a 51% stake, will soon commence construction. Additionally, the government is currently reviewing three bids from a World Bank-regulated tender. An announcement of the selected company is expected shortly.
