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11-12-2020 14:05 |
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CYPRUS, 11 December 2020: The Cyprus Shipping Deputy Ministry
(SDM) has announced the launch of a tender process to reinstate a maritime
passenger link between Cyprus and Greece, subsidised by State funds. Following the massive expression of support from the general public, a policy decision by the Government of the Republic of Cyprus has been taken to put into motion the process of re-establishing the ferry connection, which previously operated until the year 2000. Tender No. 13/2020 was launched
by the Shipping Deputy Ministry of Cyprus following approval by the
Directorate General for Competition of the European Commission in June 2020,
which gave the green light on provision of national funds on the basis that
passenger maritime transport services between Cyprus and Greece constitute a
Service of General Economic Interest (SGEI). The venture will be subsidised,
by national funds, to the value of up to €5 million per year, for the
36-month contract. Vassilios Demetriades, Cyprus
Shipping Deputy Minister, commented: “Cyprus as an island State, should not
be dependant solely on air transport in its connection with Continental
Europe. The Maritime Passenger Link is expected to provide an alternative
connectivity. Reinstating this ferry link between Cyprus and Greece will be
hugely advantageous to the region as a whole, which is why a public subsidy
has been granted.” Operating between
a port of Cyprus - either Limassol or Larnaka - and the port of Piraeus
(Keratsini Terminal) in Greece, tenderers must provide a total of 31 return
sailings each year as follows: for the months May to September one return
sailing per week, for the months October and April one return sailing every
two weeks and for the months November to March one return sailing per month. The Ro-Pax vessel must comply
with various requirements which include the flying of an EU/EEA flag
appearing on the Paris MOU White List, a minimum capacity of 200 passengers
(cabin capacity of 140 in case the trip duration will be longer than 16
hours), and must comply with all international, community and national rules
and regulations in respect of safety, security and environmental issues – at
all times. The deadline for tender
submissions is 12.00 on 29th January 2021. For further details
regarding the tender and process of application, please visit the following
link: https://www.eprocurement.gov.cy EH/ECHR |
