It might be a common assumption by now that the €1.2 billion investment in the Larnaca marina and port is up in the air, however, the managing company, which has not yet paid the contentious guarantee, is attempting in the midst of this situation to increase its income.
As sailors revealed to Phileleftheros, they were asked for rent for the small kiosks they maintain at the marina entrance, which had been granted to them as compensation for the significant decrease in their business turnover.
The most unbelievable aspect is that the rent was requested from the professionals on April 18.
Three days, that is, after the meeting at the Presidential Palace, during which the President of the Republic conveyed to officials of Kition Ocean Holdings and Aroundtown that without payment of the guarantee for the port, the contract signed cannot be considered valid.
Through a letter, which Phileleftheros reveals, Kition informed the sailors that it will impose a monthly rent of €100 for the kiosks, even asking them to prepay three months starting from May 1.
The sailors were further informed that by April 30, they must settle all their debts, otherwise the marina management has every right to remove their kiosks.
“They ruined us and now they demand more,” said Angelos Assiotis, owner of mini-cruise boats, recalling that exactly a year ago the sailors had closed the port entrance due to increases in docking fees imposed by the company at a time when they were experiencing significant revenue losses from the closure of the protected quay.
“As soon as they took over, they increased the fees by 15%, claiming that there would be infrastructure, luxury hotels, mansions, and a lot of people would come and therefore prices had to change. We feel very disappointed, we feel that some are fooling us and that they took the marina and the port and only collect profits,” he added, indicating that some people must be held accountable.
“Those who signed these agreements must resign and publicly apologize, because it is really a big fiasco for the Cypriot people. In other words, disgrace…”
Ringing the alarm bell once again regarding the survival of Larnaca’s sailors, Assiotis noted that he himself was forced to move his boats to other provinces. “None of us will survive in the end.
There are 30 families here and our work has decreased by 80% compared to 2022. They tell us that the quay has not been completed and left a small door open for the public. They ask us for rent and to pay our debts.
However, because we don’t work during the winter, we settle all our obligations in June and July. Not only did they destroy maritime tourism and Larnaca’s coastal shipping, but they also demand prepayments and extra charges,” he said, noting that the offered services have been downgraded.
“They told us they would close the quay for three months, it’s been 1.5 years and nothing happened. The woods are the same and some are even protruding, it’s dangerous for someone to stumble. They just did some work underneath and painted iron.”
“Some boats went to the occupied territories.”
Similarly, feelings of anger prevail among the owners of pleasure boats at the Larnaca marina, who had been warning for a long time that something was wrong, conducting a series of mobilizations.
“We feel anger about what is happening. We were the first to shout about the haste in the small projects by the investor, as well as the way he handled matters. We told them, and they responded, ‘it’s not like that,'” said Chris Stakas, president of the Cyprus Yacht Owners Association, indicating that their MPs condemned them when the issue was first discussed in Parliament.
“Two MPs attacked us because, as they said, we offended the investors. One MP told me to imagine this, ‘here comes you, a boat owner, to tell us if the investor is doing his job.’ And we showed the minister photos and told him that no works were done.”
Pointing out that boat owners “paid the price for the big investment” which ultimately turned out to be, as he said, “a parking lot and a trampoline,” Stakas requested information from the Ministry of Transport.
“They imposed over 50% increases on us. Those who allowed them to act like this now it’s time to take responsibility. Unfortunately, the state has not risen to the occasion, and we demand a meeting with the Minister of Transport.”
The president of the Cyprus Yacht Owners Association further denounced that “with its behavior, the contractor company managed to drive away over 50 boats that were in the marina for years. Most went to Ayia Napa, some foreigners went to the occupied territories, and some went to Greece. We are talking about a marina that was always in demand and full. Now it has vacancies, and people are not coming.”
He further added that nothing justifies the imposed increases, as the offered services have been downgraded.
“They imposed fees and increases on any service provided, even if they are responsible themselves. For example, an engineer who wants to do some work on my boat has to pay €1000 annually, and the cost is passed on to us. Also, if we use the crane, a fee of €150-€200 must be paid, but they make us sign that they have no liability. The small docks, meanwhile, have not changed, and some are half-destroyed. They even charge us for the garbage, although there was no such charge before.”
It is noted that Phileleftheros forwarded a request to the company to respond to the allegations made by boat owners; however, there was no response.
After managing to rally everyone against it, even amid an election period, Kition Ocean Holdings, through yesterday’s announcement, attributed its absence from the Parliament on Wednesday to a misunderstanding, noting that the incident “does not indicate our intentions, nor do we wish it to be perceived as a lack of respect for the House or a lack of commitment to our work.”
It mentioned that its representatives were informed by the media, and it was too late to attend in person, expressing readiness to meet with the Transportation Committee. Finally, it asserted that it remains committed “to the successful implementation of the project” and to maintaining a “spirit of cooperation.”
It is recalled that the president of the Transportation Committee, Marinos Mousiouttas, spoke of an insult to the Parliament, wondering what should be expected from the company regarding the project’s implementation, as it had been searching its email for the invitation sent for a week.
