The Deputy Ministry of Shipping organised a press conference today regarding the commencement of the third operating period of the Maritime Passenger Connection between Cyprus and Greece.
As stated in her speech, the Deputy Minister of Shipping, Marina Hadjimanolis, emphasised the ministry’s significant focus on the resumption of the maritime passenger connection between Cyprus and Greece.
This service, which became a reality two years ago and was warmly embraced by the travelling public, has exceeded all expectations.
During the previous period, 7,407 passengers and 455 pets travelled, while 2,496 accompanied vehicles were transported.
The Deputy Minister highlighted that “from these numbers, it is evident that the maritime passenger connection has achieved its purpose, creating a new segment of the tourism market for travellers wishing to journey to and from Cyprus and the rest of mainland Europe with their private cars and motorcycles, offering an alternative means of transport that had been absent for over two decades.”
The vehicle-carrying passenger ship ‘DALEELA’, which has been operating the service for the past two years, will remain the same this year, providing improved and quality services to the travelling public.
This year, the Contractor Company decided that the routes from Cyprus will depart from Limassol port, and the ship’s first departure will be on 29th May from Limassol, while the last route from Piraeus to Limassol is scheduled for 3rd September.
The reservation and ticket purchasing system will open tomorrow, allowing citizens to make the necessary arrangements to travel this summer with the maritime passenger connection service.
Referring to the sustainability of the route, Hadjimanolis stated, “The forecasts and data so far regarding the long-term sustainability of the route are positive. Therefore, our hope is that after the subsidized service ends, there will be interest from the industry to continue the seamless maritime connectivity between Cyprus and Greece. Additionally, the maritime connection between Cyprus and Greece could serve as a catalyst for sea connections with other neighbouring countries in the near future.”
She emphasised that the Deputy Ministry of Shipping would welcome any effort to permanently add a maritime passenger route between Cyprus and Greece, or with another neighbouring country.
“However,” she added, “the permanent addition of a maritime passenger route to and from Cyprus will depend on many factors, such as demand for the route, frequency of services, and the economic sustainability of the carriers. I believe that with this initiative, we have set the stage for making the route sustainable.”
Closing her remarks, the Deputy Minister of Shipping thanked all the state services and departments of the Republic, as well as DP World, for their impeccable cooperation and coordination regarding the procedures followed at the ports.
She expressed special thanks to her colleagues at the Deputy Ministry of Shipping, as well as Charalambos Manolis and Ilias Souli from Scandro Holding Ltd, for their efforts to ensure the success of this year’s maritime passenger connection project.
The ultimate goal is the smooth operation and sustainability of the route, as well as providing quality service to the travelling public.
