The passenger ferry M/V Daleela, sailed last Sunday from the port of Limassol, for the first historic voyage to reopen the passenger connection between Cyprus and Greece, carrying passengers, pets, vehicles and hopes for the successful outcome of a long-awaited dream of many of our compatriots, which is becoming a reality.
The presence of journalists for 60 hours on board, i.e. the duration of the journey from Limassol - Piraeus and Piraeus - Limassol, gave the opportunity to record the first reactions of the passengers, but also the overall experience on board the ship, whose name in Arabic refers to the leader, the driver, the one who leads the way.
The M/V Daleela safely transported the passengers on her maiden voyage with comfort commensurate with her purpose, since, as has been stressed many times by the State Ministry of Shipping and the management of the contractor company, it is not a cruise ship but a passenger ferry, aimed mainly at specific categories of travellers, such as aerophobes, people who want to travel with their pets or to transport their vehicle or even groups of people with bulky equipment.
The first trip involved 155 passengers, including the Deputy Ministers of Shipping and Tourism, Vassilis Demetriades and Savvas Perdios, the Mayor of Limassol, Nikos Nicolaides, MPs Nikos Sikas and Marinos Moussioutta, representatives of the Cyprus Chamber of Shipping, the Cyprus Shipowners' Association and the team that worked on the whole project.
Also on board were four motorcyclists of the H.O.G Cyprus (Harley Owners Group), who took their branded two-wheeled favourites for a week-long excursion to Greece, expressing their satisfaction at the resumption of the ferry connection between the two countries.
As their spokesman, George Cadros, told the media, a dream that motorcyclists have been waiting for is becoming a reality again after 21 years, underlining the great prospects that are opening up for motorcycle enthusiasts. Already, he indicated, thoughts are being made to use the new service to organize events and routes on our island, with the participation of motorcyclists from all the branches of H.O.G Europe.
Particularly impressive is the case of Mrs Kyriaki Ioannidou, who boarded the M/V Daleela for the first trip and will return with the last trip of the season, in mid-September, after having travelled around almost all of Greece in a van, which she converted into a mini caravan.
This trip is a gift from my priest husband and the first booking made for the new service, said Ms. Ioannidou, who plans to travel by road to Euboea, Aetoacarnania, Sterea Greece, go to Thessaloniki and then to Chalkidiki, go around Epirus and head south to the Peloponnese before returning to Piraeus to board her return ferry.
For a different purpose, Mr. Theodosis, who was one of the few who chose the Cyprus-Greece line ship, simply to relive the experience of his student days some four decades ago, chose the Cyprus-Greece line ship.
In addition to the 110 air seats, the M/V Daleela has a small number of VIP cabins and 38 first class cabins for 110 passengers. Another 180 passengers can be accommodated in the 68 2nd class cabins, which, it should be noted, do not have their own showers and toilets, while six metal cabins are available to accommodate pets in addition to the cabins.
The hours on board are long and to make them as pleasant as possible, some chose the company of their pets and others chose to read a good book, while on the first evening, the majority of passengers enjoyed themselves to the music of Dj Blue Captain, none other than the Deputy Minister of Shipping himself, Vassilis Dimitriadis.
Shortly before arriving in Piraeus on Monday afternoon, the Deputy Minister expressed to CNA his great joy and emotion at the completion of the first leg of this historic voyage.
"A big step has been taken, finally the issue of alternative connectivity is becoming a reality and we hope that it will be embraced by the people to make it viable, and the first impressions are very positive," he said.
He noted that some points have been identified to improve the services offered and assured that, in cooperation with the contractor, "we will work to improve the service even more, to better serve the passenger public."
"It is only a matter of time, every trip will be better," he added.
The Deputy Minister of Tourism, Savvas Perdios, was also satisfied, stating that , "the level is very good, considering that it is a ship of the line and the money you pay to use this service." "We have seen some details for improvements, but let's not forget that every beginning and difficult," he added.
At the same time, he stressed that his Deputy Ministry will evaluate, in the next period, the ways in which it can promote the Cyprus - Greece ferry connection abroad and which categories of travelers to focus on.
"I was amazed that there is so much space on board for cars, motorcycles and also for equipment and that means we can sell the idea of transporting equipment, such as for diving, sailing and other sports with bulky equipment," he added.
In addition, he continued, a meeting has been held on board with motorcyclists to coordinate in order to organise events that will attract motorcyclists from Europe.
Any kind of connectivity of Cyprus with other countries is in the interest of its people and we are happy about this development, Sunil Kapoor, a member of the Board of Directors of the Cyprus Chamber of Shipping, which he represented along with its Director General, Alexandros Iosifides, also told CNA.
"I am sure that the public will benefit from this service, not only from Cyprus but also from other parts of Europe, as long as it is promoted properly," Mr Kapoor said, expressing his delight at the enthusiasm he said he saw among passengers.
The port of Piraeus welcomed the M/V Daleela, to the tunes of the Municipality's Philharmonic Orchestra, followed by a ceremony at Terminal B "Themistocles", in the presence of the Deputy Minister of Shipping and Island Policy of Greece, Kostas Katsafados, the Deputy Minister of Tourism of Greece, Sofia Zacharaki, the Deputy Mayor of Piraeus, Dimitris Karydis and the Ambassador of Cyprus in Athens, Kyriakos Kenevezos.
Due to the ceremony at this terminal and some procedural issues, the departure of the ship was delayed by five and a half hours, namely at 6:30 am on Tuesday morning, while travelers from Greece and other countries boarded the ship.
On the way back and visibly moved, the CEO of the contractor company, Scandro Holding Ltd, Marios Michael, noted the efforts made to ensure that everything was ready in an extremely tight time frame.
He gave credit to all those who worked to prepare the ship, indicating that "while we requested two days for the last equipment to be installed, the ship was given permission to enter the port at midnight on Friday into Saturday, so we had just 24 hours of preparation."
Despite being a liner "and the public should expect a sea bus," he said, the company has arranged to operate a bar, cafe, casino, and playground on it. In addition, he continued, for the best possible entertainment of passengers, games such as backgammon, foosball and pinball are available, while considerations are being made to even hold a tombola on future voyages.
The M/V Daleela docked in Limassol port at noon on Wednesday, June 22, thus completing the historic first voyage of the new Cyprus-Greece sea passenger connection.
As the passengers disembarked, the staff began preparations for the next itinerary in just a few hours, with everyone's wish for the ship to be well-travelled and the venture a success.
Source: CNA
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