Anaklia has reached the dredging stage — two vessels are now deepening the seabed

OC Media reported at the start of September 2026 that a second dredging vessel had reached Anaklia, both operated by the Belgian marine contractor Jan De Nul. Stone and aggregate are being placed for the breakwater from the land side, with roughly a kilometre of its base reported complete, and dredging has begun in the port entrance and turning areas. The design calls for a seabed depth of 17.5 metres and a breakwater of 1,376 metres.

The project is described as a roughly $2.5 billion landlord port, with the state owning the core infrastructure and holding a 51% stake. The consortium arrangement has changed more than once since the original 2016 agreement, and OC Media reported that the Chinese partner left in the summer of 2026, leaving the Georgian side in control of the build. Ownership changes of that kind are worth following, because they tend to affect timelines more than engineering does.

Deep-water ports pull in more than ships. They bring road and rail upgrades, warehousing, customs and logistics employers, and with them demand for housing and services in towns that had none of it. That is the case for watching Samegrelo's coast rather than only Batumi. The caution is timing: dredging is early work, and the commercial benefit arrives with operating berths, not with vessels at the survey stage.

The next honest milestones are the completion of dredging, the start of seaward breakwater construction and the award of terminal operating contracts. Budget allocations in each year's state budget are also a fair indicator of pace. Treat published opening dates for a project of this size as intentions rather than schedules until the berths themselves are under construction.