The second dredger of the Jan De Nul group, "Al-Idrisi," has entered the port of Anaklia. It joined the vessel "Tristao Da Cunha," which arrived in the region about a month ago and was already performing work at the base of the nearly kilometer-long breakwater.
According to Zurab Sichinava, director of OOO "Anaklia Sea Port," the joint work of the two vessels will allow increasing the depth in the water area to 17.5 meters.
Dredging operations are being carried out under a contract with Jan De Nul, signed in August 2024. Initially, its cost was $200 million, but in the spring of 2026, it was reduced to $150 million.
At the same time, the parameters of Anaklia's marine infrastructure were revised in August. The volume of dredging work was reduced from approximately 7.5 to 5.25 million cubic meters, and the area of the approach channel, turning basin, and breakwater from 113.1 to 105 hectares.
The length of the approach channel was reduced from 2 to 1.8 km while maintaining a width of 230 meters. The guaranteed depth of the channel and turning basin will be 18 meters below the Baltic Sea Level System instead of the previous 20.31 meters.
Despite the reduction in the project's scope, authorities state that the port will be able to accommodate vessels with a capacity of up to 10,600 TEU. In the future, the state intends to complete construction, attract about $200 million in international financing, and transfer the completed infrastructure for long-term lease to a private foreign operator.