[Cyprus Times] Business forum: The Cyprus-Greece ferry link was a mutual aspiration and must survive

The ferry connection between Cyprus and Greece was a mutual aspiration of the two countries, was achieved after 21 years and must survive, as it is considered very important for the economic development of the two countries, /quote]

At a round table discussion on "The Mediterranean as a blue growth hub and the role of Greece and Cyprus" held in the framework of the business forum organized by the Famagusta Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Piraeus Chamber of Commerce at the conference centre of Ayia Napa Marina, Deputy Minister of Shipping Vassilis Dimitriadis said that "the maritime passenger connection between Cyprus and Greece is a successful project, since after 21 years we managed to give an alternative option to our fellow citizens and to create the framework for further development of maritime tourism between the two countries".

He added that this project is a new effort that needs to be embraced by Greece and Cyprus to make it sustainable. The approval of the funding framework that we secured from the European Commission, which is state funding on the part of Cyprus, is for 3 plus 3 years, the EU rules do not allow further funding of this project, so we must give it the support it deserves in order for this effort to be sustainable."

According to Demetriades, "possibly this project in the near future will be extended to a third neighboring country, in order to create further conditions to enhance the sustainability of the However, there is a shortage of technical staff in Cyprus, we need to bring young people closer to the sea and for this purpose there are many activities, including in schools."

He also expressed the hope that "young people will embrace the Sea Festival which will be held for the second year in Limassol on the weekend of 20 and 21 May, where 40 organisations will join forces to promote the sea as a sport, as an activity, as a study option and as a professional orientation."

For his part, Ioannis Plakiotakis, Minister of Shipping and Insular Policy of Greece said that "the maritime link between Cyprus and Greece was a mutual aspiration of both countries, we succeeded and the maritime link became a reality. This route will further strengthen the already excellent relations between Greece and Cyprus, while it will also boost the tourism product to a great extent, since both Greeks and Cypriots will be able to visit both countries by car."

He added that "what we are interested in is for the line to be viable, we will continue to work with the Cyprus Deputy Ministry of Shipping on this particular project and we are all interested in the first project going well so that we can move on to the next one which is a more permanent solution to the issue."

Ioannis Melas, MP for Piraeus and Islands of Greece, said that "the new route that will connect Cyprus with Greece by ferry is a historic moment for the two countries, it was a common request of the two peoples, it is happening after 21 years and it is very encouraging that it has been embraced by the people who made many reservations. This route is very important for the economic development of the two countries, since it will facilitate commercial activities, expand tourism activities and travel in the context of tourism and will certainly reduce transport costs, which at this time, with the energy crisis, is of particular importance for Greece and Cyprus."

Mr.Melas referred to the Mitsotakis government's plan to focus on the development of infrastructure and said that "in the next period, infrastructure projects worth one billion euros will be carried out. What we as shipping companies in Cyprus see that we are lagging behind is the technical staff and we hope that young people, seeing also the coastal connection, will add shipping as one of the options in their career."

He also noted that "in recent years with the arrival of several shipowners in Cyprus the cluster has grown, maritime academies have become active and several of the universities have added shipping programmes as one of the options for their students. We hope to increase the number of maritime personnel necessary to complete the maritime cluster in Cyprus."

Charalambos Manolis, representative of the Managing Company of the Cyprus - Greece Shipping Link, expressed congratulations and thanks to the Deputy Minister of Shipping, who "with his own effort managed to bring the shipping link to fruition and implementation. The ship chartered for this purpose has a capacity of 400 people of which 300 will be in cabins and 100 air chairs, with the capacity to carry more than 100 cars."

The first voyage of the ship, he continued, will take place on 19 June and the last one on 17 September when it will return from Greece. We have been informed that today we have exceeded 3 thousand bookings and there is interest in carrying 1100 vehicles, which gives us the courage to go further."

At the same time he expressed the hope that "the demand for the Cyprus - Greece route will continue after six years so that the line becomes viable and we have a continuous connection between the two countries."

Source: CNA

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