Filenews 19 April 2022 - by Adamos Adamou
The countdown for the departure of the ship that will connect Cyprus with Greece marks the completion of the relevant tender, announced yesterday by the Deputy Ministry of Shipping, which wanted, however, to keep the successful bidder secret.
In a relevant announcement, the Deputy Ministry of Shipping, however, made it known that the successful bidder was informed and, as provided by the terms of the offer, has been asked to provide the necessary documentary evidence for the signing of the contracts, which is expected in the coming days. He also announced that, with the signing of the contracts, the Deputy Ministry of Shipping is planning a press conference next week to present all the relevant information concerning, among others, the ship, the itineraries and the amount of the fares.
According to information provided by "F", the relevant press conference was set for the Wednesday after Easter, the 27th of the month, while it is not excluded that the signatures will fall earlier - even during the Holy Week.
We would like to remind you that three companies submitted bids for the Cyprus-Greece sea passenger connection, KIARA NAFTIKI ETAIRIA, which offered €16,500,000, SCANDRO HOLDING LTD, with an offer of €15,594,000 and N.Y. BUSINESS TIES LTD with an offer of €14,100,000. On the basis of the relevant tender, the successful tenderer will be offered a state subsidy of €5.5 million. the year for 22 round trips/routes, which aroused interest, since, on the basis of the previous tender for the subject, which had ended at the time without interest, the subsidy amounted to €5 million for 31 round trips.
Information from "F" says that, if there are no further delays in the whole process, the first route to Piraeus will set sail in June from Limassol port. Based on the tender procedure, the successful bidder may choose to use either the port of Limassol, Larnaca, or both, provided that only one Cypriot port will be used on the same trip, but based on our information the choice made is that the point of departure from Cyprus should be the port of Limassol. The tender also foresees that the ship from Cyprus will approach the Main Cruise Terminal at the port of Piraeus.
The services offered and the estimated cost for passengers
The company that will undertake the relevant route will operate it for three years, while the contract can be extended for another three. The successful bidder will have to provide the passenger connection between April/May and September/October, which is the period when the most demand is expected from passengers, i.e. the route will be seasonal.
Apart from passengers, the ship will be able to carry pets as well as vehicles - cars or motorcycles. The maximum prices of the ferry ticket will not exceed €50 for one-way journey and €80 roundtrip, without port fees. For a cabin, the ceiling set by the tender is €80 and roundtrip €120, again without the port fees. Also, for a car the price should not exceed €150 roundtrip, while for motorbikes the price should not exceed €100.
It is worth noting that the last time there was a ferry connection between Cyprus and Greece was 21 years ago.
