The marine infrastructure design for the Anaklia Deep Water Port project has undergone official revisions, featuring scaled-back dredging works and a significantly reduced contract value.
Sea-news.az reports that Georgia’s National Environmental Agency approved the modifications on August 20, ruling that the changes do not necessitate a full, new Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) procedure.
According to transport expert Rauf Agamirzayev, the revisions focus primarily on marine engineering parameters:
Reduced by roughly 30%, dropping from 7.5 million cubic meters to 5.25 million cubic meters. Shortened from the initially planned 2 km to 1.8 km. Lowered from 20.3 meters to 18 meters. Compacted from approximately 113 hectares down to 105 hectares.
While these adjustments mean less seabed material will be excavated and the entrance channel will be shorter and slightly shallower, project operators emphasize that this is not merely a “downsizing.” The updated metrics stem from the transition from preliminary planning to detailed engineering, supported by advanced geological, hydrological, and navigational studies. Crucially, the functional capabilities and projected cargo-handling capacity of the port’s first phase remain unchanged.
Marine contractor Jan De Nul (Belgium), responsible for dredging and maritime infrastructure construction, originally priced the work package at approximately $203.9 million. Following revisions, the contract amount was slashed by about $52.5 million, bringing the total down to $150 million.
Decreasing the volume of dredged material shortens construction timelines, which in turn reduces potential noise, vibration, and marine emissions—a key reason environmental authorities bypassed a full re-evaluation. However, ancillary temporary structures (such as a marine platform, production facilities, and storage infrastructure) will be subject to strict new monitoring protocols.
- Anaklia Port’s marine footprint has been made more compact.
- Dredging scope reduced by nearly one-third.
- Guaranteed depth adjusted to 18 meters.
- Jan De Nul contract value lowered to $150 million.
- Phase-one target cargo throughput remains intact.
Ultimately, the revisions reflect technical optimization and cost efficiency. The true success of the modified design will be measured once the port becomes operational and demonstrates its capability to safely and efficiently handle large-tonnage vessels under real Black Sea navigation conditions.
