Anaklia Development Consortium CEO Responds to Rumors
The Anaklia Deep Sea Port is one of the major and most strategically vital projects being implemented in Georgia today. The construction works of the Port are underway, being run by the Anaklia Development Consortium (ADC), which is made up of specialized firms with diverse backgrounds: TBC Holding, Conti International, SSA Marine, Wondernet Express and G-Star Ltd.
However, the recent developments surrounding the TBC Holding and its founder Mamuka Khazaradze, who is also an ADC founder, have given rise to a number of questions and rumors regarding the progress of construction of Anaklia Deep Sea Port, with one Georgian TV channel claiming that ADC failed to commence works on the planned date.
To clarify the situation, the CEO of the Anaklia Development Consortium, Levan Akhvelidiani hosted media representatives at the Tbilisi Marriott Hotel on March 20 and expressed his readiness to answer any question regarding the Port. GEORGIA TODAY was among the attendees.
Akhvlediani started his presentation with a thorough explanation of the project, and by outlining the importance of Anaklia Deep Sea Port for the country.
“The Port project was initiated at the end of 2013 by Giorgi Kvirikashvili, who was Minister of Economy at the time. Prior to the announcement of the tender, the Partnership Fund was asked to finance and carry out comprehensive studies which would answer two major questions: is it necessary to have a deep-sea port on the territory of Georgia, and, if so, what would be the best location for it?” Akhvlediani told us.
“As a result of the explorations, Anaklia was chosen as the most suitable location for the construction of the deep-sea port. The proximity to the occupied region of Abkhazia played no minor role in the decision-making process.”
Akhvlediani also spoke about the success of the Anaklia Development Consortium in the tender and stressed the complex procedures needed to implement the project.
“An international tender was announced in July 2014 and saw 12 major companies participating, of which only two succeeded. On February 8, 2016, Anaklia Development Consortium was named winner of the tender.”
The CEO of the Consortium noted the skepticism of a number of governmental representatives towards the Anaklia Deep Sea Port project, saying: “I am making a political statement now, but I can firmly say that those who were against the given project at its inception are now speaking about its crucial importance for the development of the country.”
Akhvlediani presented the global partner companies and financial institutions involved in the project and briefed us about the major maritime works that have been carried out on site since 2017.
The Anaklia Deep Sea Port will be operational from December 2020 and is being constructed in nine phases. The total investment value of the project is $2.5 billion.
“We are the only country in the region without a deep-sea port, which is certainly a must-have in the contemporary world,” Akhvlediani noted. “Georgia is a country with an incredible strategic location, serving as a gateway between Europe and Asia, and the deep-sea port will enhance its role on the Silk Road and contribute to its economic growth. After completion of the 1st phase, in 2021, the Port will be able to handle 1 million TEU containers and 1.5 million tons of dry bulk.”
“Quite frequently, we hear the opinion that Anaklia Port will become rival to other Georgian seaports and lead to their shutting down. That is not true! We are working on such a large-scale project that cannot be considered a rival to other ports in our country; rather, we aim to compete with our neighboring countries, including Russia and Turkey,” Akhvlediani told us, going on to emphasize the potential of infrastructural development of Anaklia and its adjacent territories and the prospective of Georgia becoming a regional hub. The ADC CEO also noted that the project is set to create more than 16,000 workplaces and become a source of additional income for the local population.
He spoke about the challenges faced by ADC in the process of implementation of the project, stating that due to the recent developments surrounding TBC Bank and its founder Mamuka Khazaradze, there has been a lot of misinformation and propaganda spread about the Port project. “It has been stated that the Consortium is failing to meet the requirements of the international partners and is not carrying out the planned construction works on time. There has been no delay in the construction of the port since 2016, when the investment agreement was signed with the government. The shareholders of the Consortium have allocated investments amounting to $70 million so far, without the involvement of the government. The 8-point demands of our international investors represent the most significant global companies. Thus, it is expected that they insist on particular guarantees before approving a project,” he highlighted.
By Ketevan Kvaratskheliya
Image source: Georgian International Maritime Forum