As construction of the Anaklia deep-sea port advances, questions have emerged over whether its launch will intensify competition with Poti and Batumi or instead strengthen Georgia’s overall maritime sector. According to port management specialist Merab Chachava, co-founder of Maritime Agency Admiral, Georgia should develop a unified port system in which each port has a distinct but complementary role.
Chachava argues that Anaklia’s deep-water capacity would allow Georgia to serve larger vessels that existing ports cannot accommodate due to natural and infrastructure constraints. Rather than simply redirecting cargo from Poti or Batumi, Anaklia could attract additional container flows and cargo generated by the Middle Corridor, particularly as maritime routes in the Black Sea face disruptions. Under such a model, Poti, Batumi, Kulevi, Supsa and Anaklia would serve different markets and cargo types while remaining connected through road and rail networks.
The specialist notes that ports generate a broader economic ecosystem beyond cargo handling, including pilotage, towing, shipping agency services, vessel supply and maintenance, freight forwarding, customs, warehousing and transportation. Expanding port infrastructure could therefore create demand for new logistics companies, transport operations, engineering services and maritime professionals, including Georgian seafarers. He says the development of ports should also expand opportunities for professional training and employment in these areas.
From this perspective, the key question for Georgia is not which port will take cargo from another, but how the country’s ports can collectively handle growing Middle Corridor traffic. Chachava argues that the success of Anaklia should ultimately be measured by the growth of Georgia’s overall maritime and logistics capacity, rather than by individual port cargo volumes. A coordinated system could bring more cargo, maritime operations, added value and employment, positioning Anaklia as a new stage in Georgia’s maritime economic development rather than simply a competitor to existing ports.
