The maritime passenger connection between Cyprus and Greece seems to have achieved its purpose, said the Deputy Minister of Shipping, Marina Hatzimanoli, announcing the start of this year's routes of the ferry M/V Daleela, on May 29, from the port of Limassol.
At a press conference, at the Limassol EBE, Mrs. Hatzimanoli said that the Deputy Ministry of Shipping attached and attaches great importance to the reopening of the Cyprus-Greece sea passenger connection, which became a reality two years ago and "was embraced by the passenger public with enormous success , exceeding every desired expectation.
During last year's period, he added, 7407 passengers and 455 pets traveled, while 2496 accompanied vehicles were transported, numbers which, according to the Deputy Minister, show that "the maritime passenger connection has achieved its purpose, creating a new segment of the tourist market for travelers who wish to travel to and from Cyprus and the rest of continental Europe, with their private cars and two-wheelers, offering an alternative mode of transport".
This year, the Deputy Minister noted, the contracting company Scandro Holding Ltd, decided that the itineraries are made only from Limassol, with the first trip taking place on May 29, from the port of Limassol, and the last itinerary, from Piraeus to Limassol, is scheduled for September 3rd.
Tomorrow, April 17, he continued, the online booking and ticketing system will be opened, adding that "the passenger ferry Daleela, which operated the passenger connection service for the past two years, will remain the same this year, providing improved and quality services to the passenger public".
He underlined, at the same time, that "the forecasts and data so far regarding the viability of the line, in the long term, are positive" and expressed the wish that there would be interest from the industry in the uninterrupted operation of the service even after the end of the subsidized service, in four years.
"The Deputy Ministry of Shipping will welcome any effort to permanently add a maritime passenger route Cyprus - Greece or with another neighboring country", he said and at the same time indicated that this will depend on many factors, such as demand, frequency of routes and the economic viability of carriers. I think, he added, that "with this initiative we have set the stage for making the line sustainable".
Besides, Marina Hatzimanoli indicated that for security reasons citizens cannot place any objects or products inside the vehicles and there is a specific procedure that is followed for their transport.
For his part, the Mayor of Limassol, Nikos Nikolaidis, expressed his joy at the start of the 3rd season of the Cyprus-Greece maritime passenger connection and congratulated the Deputy Ministry of Shipping for its efforts to make this service possible.
He assured that the Municipality of Limassol and all those involved will continue their cooperation for the good of the service and expressed the certainty that there are prospects for its continuation even after the end of the subsidy.
Thanking the Deputy Ministry of Shipping and the Municipality of Limassol, the Managing Director of Scandro Holding Ltd, Charalambos Manolis, said that along the way several problems and bureaucratic procedures have been overcome.
Among other things, he also thanked the manager of the Limassol port terminal, DP World Limassol, "who has shown enough understanding and seeing the signs of the times, they have agreed so that we have better charges so that the project can become more sustainable".
The Commercial Director of DP World Limassol, Lazaros Charalambous, assured that the company will work, in cooperation with all the relevant services, "to carry out a smooth process and a pleasant experience for the passenger public".
As mentioned during the press conference, there will be a total of 22 routes, six in May-June, seven in July and nine in August-September, while the fares are about the same as last year, with a small increase of 50 cents on the child ticket and around 2 euros in port fees.
When asked about the non-inclusion of the port of Larnaca, as was done during last year's period, the CEO of the contractor company explained that "unfortunately, we saw that this was not in the financial interest of the company", since with today's fuel prices, there would have been additional costs of 6-7 thousand euros.
In relation to the considerations that had been made for a sea connection with Israel as well, Mr. Manolis said that, with the developments in the region, this possibility no longer exists, underlining at the same time that the security controls will be stricter this year and requested public understanding. He also noted that, as in other ports, the transportation of electric cars is prohibited.