New Cyprus-Greece ferry plans due soon

The new schedule for the Cyprus-Greece ferry link is expected to be announced within the next week, or by early March at the latest.

Kathimerini Cyprus understands that Scandro Holding has been formulating the program in the last few weeks, attempting to finalize all the details of this year’s sailing schedule in consultation with the ports of Piraeus and Limassol, as the contract gives them the right to start either from Limassol or Larnaca or to use a combination of ports.

The company is also thinking about expanding the service from once to twice a week. The tender specifies that the vessel should make 22 round trips. This means there will be one sailing per week for the period of May to October.

Negotiations to include Israel in the maritime link took place in the past, but this scenario is considered rather remote at the moment.

The Ministry of Shipping, however, has requested that the company submit all relevant details regarding the ship’s itineraries, days, times and fare prices by early March. According to Deputy Shipping Minister Vassilis Demetriades, under the terms of the contract, the company has the flexibility to formulate itineraries with the ports it wishes to activate.

Demetriades noted that the slight delay – it should have been around mid-January – is not cause for concern, and he reminded anyone who has expressed alarm that there are guarantee clauses and safeguards in place to ensure the service’s continuation.

According to the minister, all of the above will be clarified by the beginning of March so that the public is fully informed and can make reservations.

It should be noted that during the route’s first year of operation in 2022, it accounted for 22 round trips on the Daleela, which has a capacity of 400 people and more than 100 vehicles. The first trip was on June 19 and the last on September 16.

There were 15 formal complaints-negative comments, two suggestions, and 21 requests for information during the service’s first year of operation. The content of the complaints was evaluated, and it served as the foundation for changes aimed at simplifying procedures for embarking, importing and exporting vehicles, as well as passenger service at the port of Limassol.