Jan De Nul Begins Dredging for Deep-Water Port in Anaklia, Georgia

Jan De Nul has commenced dredging works for the construction of a breakwater, an access channel, and a turning basin at the Anaklia deep-water port in Georgia.

The port is expected to become one of the main maritime gateways of the Middle Corridor, a trade route connecting Europe with Central Asia and beyond.

Located on Georgia's Black Sea coast, the Anaklia deep-water port will increase the country's capacity to handle large container ships and create additional capacity for dry and bulk cargo. The terminal will boost the development of the Middle Corridor, where this trade route through the Caspian and Black Seas is considered a reliable alternative to the northern route via Russia or the southern route via the Suez Canal.

Jan De Nul's dredgers Tristão da Cunha and Al-Idrisi are deepening the access channel to 17.5 meters, which will allow the port to receive large Panamax and Post-Panamax vessels. Panamax vessels are designed to fit the maximum dimensions of the original Panama Canal, while Post-Panamax vessels exceed them. The works also include the construction of a turning basin, which provides these large vessels with sufficient space to maneuver safely within the port.

In collaboration with local company Prime Concrete, Jan De Nul will also construct a 1,380-meter breakwater. This structure will protect the port from waves, creating a sheltered area where vessels can safely enter, maneuver, and berth.

Dredging works will continue until the end of 2026, and the construction of the breakwater is expected to be completed by the end of 2027. The first phase of construction should be completed in 2029.

The port will then have an annual container capacity of at least 600,000 TEU, a standard measure of container ship and port capacity, and a second phase is projected to increase this capacity to at least one million TEU by 2035.