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SSA Marine to operate new Georgian deepsea port in Anaklia

SSA Marine to operate new Georgian deepsea port in Anaklia
Seattle-based SSA Marine has been appointed terminal operator for Georgia’s new deepsea container terminal Anaklia after signing an agreement with Anaklia Development Consortium (ADC).

SSA Marine will have operating rights to the terminal for the next 20 years and will also act as an equity investor for ADC.   SSA Marine joins Conti International, a major US-based developer of infrastructure and capital projects, which is co-leading the ADC together with Georgia-based TBC Holding.

ADC won a competitive bid for the 52-year concession for the $560m-green-field Anaklia Port which will begin construction from end of 2017. Phase One is scheduled to become operational in 2020-2021. The concession provides the rights to handle containers, breakbulk, dry bulk and liquid bulk.

Phase One of the project calls for development of a 900,000 teu capacity-port with 600 m of berth; minus16 m draught; 30 hectares of container yard and 10 ha for intermodal yard. The concession also provides rights to 644 hectares for building and operating a Free Trade Zone (FTZ) adjacent to the port site. 

“We see great opportunity for this multi-commodity terminal project. Anaklia with its minus16 m draught will be able to handle vessels up to 10,000 teu while the other two Georgia Poti and Batumi ports can only accommodate 1,500 teu-vessels,” Bob Watters, senior vp of SSA Marine said.

“The Republic of Georgia is strongly behind this project. With their recently signed FTA agreements with both the EU and China and with improvements being made to rail and road infrastructure they are well on their way to making Georgia a transportation hub,” he added.

“The container opportunities are obvious with the both the economic growth in the primary markets -Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia- as well as their  respective governments commitments to invest in and create more efficient and cost effective road and rail systems,” said Watters.

The project will serve as the main gateway for 17m inhabitants of the Caucasus countries  (Primary Market) and 67m inhabitants of Central Asia (Secondary Market). The IMF forecasts relatively strong GDP growth through 2020: 3%-5% per year in the project’s primary market and 4%-8% in the project’s secondary markets.

“Our goal is to create the best platform for US business interests in the region, and the involvement of US companies in large regional infrastructural projects is very important,” commented Georgia Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili.

“This terminal will establish a new maritime corridor between China and Europe and there are hopes it will stimulate national and regional economic growth.”