Georgia’s government will develop the Anaklia Deep Sea Port under a new state-led model, Economy Minister Mariam Kvrivishvili announced at a briefing, confirming that the project will no longer rely on a leading private investor.
As a result, negotiations with China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), which had been underway since May 2024, have ended without a final agreement. Instead, the project will be implemented under a landlord model, with the Georgian state serving as the developer and owner of the port.
Kvrivishvili said the new approach will allow multiple international companies to operate at the port as long-term tenants, rather than granting a single investor a major ownership stake. Under the previous model, the state would have held 51% of the project while CCCC would have owned the remaining 49%.
The government had recently commissioned Rotterdam-based consultancy Port Consultant Rotterdam to assess alternative development models, including full state implementation. Following that review, the government selected the state-led option. Construction of the port’s breakwater and dredging works is already underway under a contract with Belgium’s Jan De Nul, which was recently renegotiated to reduce costs by $52 million.
