It is responsible for the maritime protection of the entire 310 km (190 mi) Black Sea coastline of Georgia, as well as the Georgian territorial waters.

Maritime surveillance radar stations are maintained at Anaklia, Poti, Supsa, Chakvi, and Gonio, providing coverage of all territorial seas.

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Georgia, not a CIS member at that time, was not included in the initial Russian-Ukrainian Black Sea Fleet partition negotiations in January 1992.

The only two significant naval operations during the war included the August 1992 evacuation of 173 women and children from Bichvinta (Pitsunda) and the April 1993 destruction of a pro-Abkhaz Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev's camp at Gudauta.

Yet throughout its existence the Georgian Navy remained, in many ways, the most inferior component of the armed forces without any clear operational doctrine and lacking resources necessary to maintain seaworthy ships or conduct training missions.

In contrast, the Georgian Coast Guard, which is part of the Border Police and subordinate to the Interior Ministry, has developed rapidly into one of the most effective forces in Georgia today.

Renamed Tsotne Dadiani (P210) and General Mazniashvili (P211), the cutters created a technical bridge that served well until Georgia began to develop and acquire new vessels in 2007 and 2008.

Internally, the naval division remained ill funded, ill-defined and challenged by its organizational role as simply another Border Guard element.

Due to the importance of the obligations to control the maritime border, and with increasing capabilities, a reform process was begun in 2002 to create equality and organizational efficiency for the Coast Guard.

Implementing a plan based on the threats, missions, tactics and current/planned resources, Papidze developed a structure that was equal within the department to the Border Guard, and that divided responsibilities inside the Coast Guard between operational forces led by an Operations Directorate and Resources Management led by an Administration Directorate.

This was the most major reform of a military element in Georgia to date, and set the Coast Guard on a path of professionalization and operational success.

Shortly after the announcement Major General Davit Gulua was named as the first Head of the Coast Guard, while continuing his duties as deputy chairman of the department.

[citation needed] Overall, it appears that Georgian naval losses during the 2008 war with Russia totalled Tbilisi, Dioskuria, and Tskaltubo, which were sunk in Poti.

[10] Georgia's Coast Guard and Navy also had a number of small, rigid-hulled inflatable boats which were hauled off by Russian forces as war trophies.

The Coast Guard cutter Ayety (former German minesweeper Minden) and naval ship Tskaltubo, which had been scuttled in the port of Poti, were both raised.

[citation needed] The Coast Guard vessels which had sortied to Batumi in August 2008 were able to return and take up duties soon after Russian forces left Poti.

As a new acquisition, and contracted prior to August 2008, the Georgian Coast Guard has placed one Turkish built MRTP-33 patrol/fast attack boat, P-24 Sokhumi, into service.

[citation needed] Georgia's Coast Guard also still has at least five of the smaller patrol boats armed with ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft guns that survived the conflict with Russia.

[12] During August 2009, the Georgian Coast Guard seized three commercial shipping vessels that were attempting to sail into Abkhazian waters.