The Cyprus-Greece ferry route is expected to resume for a second consecutive year in 2023-Q2 with a new schedule to be announced soon.
Scandro Holding, which in 2022 was awarded the project of reviving the maritime link with MV Daleela ship (1991-built/IMO 9001306, Cyprus-flagged), after a pause of 21 years, has been formulating the program.
The company is attempting to finalize all the details of the 2023 ferry schedule in consultation with the ports of Limassol (Cyprus) and Piraeus-Athens (Greece), as the contract gives them the right to start either from Larnaca or Limassol, or to use a combination of ports.
The company is thinking about expanding the service from once to twice per week. The tender specifies that the ship should make 22 roundtrips. This means there will be 1 sailing per week for the period of May-October.
Negotiations to include Israel in the link took place in the past, but the scenario is considered rather remote at the moment.
Cyprus Ministry of Shipping requested that the company submit all relevant details regarding the itineraries, days, times, and prices by early March. Under the terms of the contract, the company can formulate itineraries with the ports it wishes to service.
The revived Cyprus-Greece ferry saw its final return voyage in September 2022. After conducting 22 roundtrip crossings, the overall number of passengers was 7,162. MV Daleela also ferried ~2250 wheeled units (cars and motorcycles) along with ~200 pets.
Scandro Holding was awarded the project of reviving the ferry link in January for a bid of EUR 15.59 million.
The company is a joint venture between Acheon Akti Navigation and tour operator Top Kinisis Travel. It operated the ferry service between Limassol-Piraeus for the summer of 2022 on the Cypriot-flagged ferry with a capacity of 400 people.
The ferry has a clinic, restaurant, and cafeteria, in addition to 38 first-class/68 second-class cabins, and 110 outdoor seats. It can accommodate up to 100 vehicles.
The Cypriot government committed to funding the connection with EUR 5.5 million per year for a period of 3 years and a total of EUR 16.5 million.