On 1 April 2022, the Cyprus Ports Authority granted the operation and management of the Port of Larnaca to the private investor "Kition Ocean Port", on the basis of the concession agreement signed on 4 December 2020. It is recalled that following a decision of the Cyprus Government, the Republic of Cyprus launched a tender for the concession and integrated development of the Port and Marina of Larnaca on 26 July 2019.
On the occasion of the concession, the President of the Cyprus Ports Authority, Dr. Antonis St.
"1 April 2022 is another milestone in the almost fifty-year history of the Cyprus Ports Authority. It is with great emotion that the Cyprus Ports Authority is leaving the management of the Port of Larnaca but at the same time we understand the new enhanced role of the Authority as a supervisor and regulator of the activities that will now be carried out by our new partners. The Ports Authority now has, in a broader context, action in three pillars - operational, supervisory and regulatory and is upgrading its actions to fully implement its role in the modern port environment that is being created in our country. We welcome the efforts of the Cypriot Government that have been successful in finding the investor that will carry out the largest investment in Cyprus, worth €1.2 billion, which will benefit both the local community of Larnaca and Cyprus in general, highlighting it as the right place for the implementation of mega investments in a sound and fully regulated supervisory framework.
At the same time, as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Cyprus Ports Authority, I thank on behalf of the Board the staff of the Authority in Larnaca who have worked over the years for the upgrading of the Port of Larnaca and its smooth operation with full competence, conscientiousness and hard work. The Cyprus Ports Authority owes a big thank you to them and especially to those colleagues who will leave the service or transfer to other public services. We assure everyone that as a Council we have ensured their employment rights to the fullest extent.
I would also like to thank in particular the Honourable Minister of Transport, Communications and Works Mr. Yannis Karousos, the Director General of the Ministry Mr. Stavros Michael and their team who have worked tirelessly throughout this transitional period for the implementation of the commercialisation of the Port and Marina of Larnaca. Special thanks are also expressed to the team of the Cyprus Ports Authority who worked in full cooperation with the team of the Ministry and the team of the investor for the above.
Finally, I wish our new partners every success in the implementation of their plan and design for the integrated development of the Port and Marina of Larnaca. I assure them that the Cyprus Ports Authority, with its new role in relation to the Port of Larnaca, will be a supportive and steady partner in the implementation of the concession agreement."
The Port of Larnaca was completed in June 1973 with the initial plan to complete the works of the then main port of Cyprus in Famagusta. After the Turkish invasion of 1974 and the occupation of Famagusta Port, the state and the Cyprus Ports Authority proceeded to upgrade it over time, making it the second largest port in Cyprus, after the New Port of Limassol. The Port of Larnaca is a multipurpose port that handles all kinds of cargoes, such as, for example, animal feed, grain, gypsum, salt, scyra, timber, iron, fertilizers, cargoes for the energy sector, automobiles, petroleum products, as well as cruise ships, providing services related to ship docking, ship unloading, storage of cargo under temporary storage, customs warehousing and passenger handling services. The first ship to berth at the Port of Larnaca was the M.V. Mette Dania on 18 June 1973 and the last ship served by the Cyprus Port Authority on 31 March 2022, prior to the concession of the Port to the investor, was the Blue Six.
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