BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 11. The development of the Anaklia Deep Sea Port may become one of the most transformative logistics projects in the wider Black Sea and Middle Corridor region during the next decade, Ziya Mammadov, Deputy Head of the Marketing Division at the Marketing and Tariff Policy Department of Azerbaijan Railways, wrote on his social media account, TurkicWorld reports.
He noted that as Eurasian trade routes continue diversifying, Anaklia has the potential to strengthen the strategic connectivity between China, Central Asia, the Caspian region, the South Caucasus, and Europe.
"The port’s planned deep-sea infrastructure is particularly significant.
With an estimated depth of around 16 meters and future capacity expansion targets exceeding 1 million TEU annually, Anaklia could eventually accommodate larger container vessels directly, something many regional Black Sea ports still face limitations with," he added.
This creates potential benefits such as increased container handling efficiency, reduced dependency on feeder shipping systems, faster Black Sea–Europe cargo integration, improved multimodal coordination between rail and maritime transport, and enhanced regional supply chain resilience.
From a Middle Corridor perspective, Anaklia is not simply another port project; it could become a strategic balancing node for growing East-West freight volume as cargo traffic through the Trans-Caspian corridor continues rising, and infrastructure pressure across ports, railways, and customs systems will inevitably increase. In this environment, additional maritime capacity on the Black Sea side becomes strategically important," Mammadov added.
According to him, future synchronization between the Baku International Sea Trade Port, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, Caspian feeder operations, Georgia’s modernizing railways, and digital customs integration systems could significantly enhance the operational competitiveness of the Middle Corridor.
"Another key factor is geopolitical diversification. Global supply chains are increasingly turning to alternative trade corridors, reducing reliance on single-route logistics, adopting flexible multimodal transport models, and seeking faster Eurasian transit solutions.
This trend shapes the long-term strategic significance of the South Caucasus.
"In my view, with effective integration into the regional logistics architecture, Anaklia could become the largest container hub on the Black Sea, as well as a key infrastructure pillar for growing trade connectivity between the countries of the Persian Gulf, Central Asia, and the Caucasus," he emphasized.
Furthermore, Mammadov noted that in a broader context, Anaklia’s future role could extend far beyond a purely transport function: "The project has the potential to reshape the regional trade landscape, strengthen transit economies, and enhance the geopolitical significance of the Middle Corridor across Eurasia."
The Middle Corridor is a transport and trade route that passes through a number of countries in the region and connects Asia with Europe. It serves as an alternative to the traditional Northern and Southern Corridors.
The route begins in China and runs through the countries of Central Asia. It then crosses the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye, before reaching Europe. The Middle Corridor is a land route that bypasses longer sea routes, connecting the eastern regions of Asia, including China, with Europe.
