BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 9
By Tamilla Mammadova – Trend:
Georgia hopes that American investors will be interested in Anaklia Port, said the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Natia Turnava, Trend reports via Georgian media.
According to her, the new tender for the Anaklia Port project is expected to be announced in the second half of the next year. However, the tender documents will be reviewed before the tender.
"We think, there will be a better situation in the second half of the next year. Until then, we will need time to review the tender documents prepared in 2014. We must rethink this project to make it more adequate. Then we will start looking for investors and we have high hopes that American investors will be interested. Why they will be interested? There is a logic in this. The US Development Finance Corporation, former OPIC, is financing the PACE terminal in Poti. The government of the United States through USAID is assisting us in introducing one window principle in all Georgian ports to serve ships. Consequently, US activity is quite high in port infrastructure. It would probably be logical for American investors to be interested in this project again," Turnava said.
Meanwhile, Anaklia Port Development Consortium was founded by TBC Holding and joined by American companies Conti International LLC and SSA Marine, British Wondernet Express, and Bulgarian G-Star Ltd. However, in August 2019, Conti International LLC announced its intention to leave the consortium, and ADC was left without the main investor.
The construction of the new port began in December 2017; in July 2018, the work commenced on deepening the bottom to 16 meters. However, at this stage, the work was suspended.
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