Filenews 16 June 2022
Less than 72 hours separate us from the first trip of M/V Daleela, which resumes, after 21 years, the passenger connection between Cyprus and Greece, as preparations continue feverishly on the part of the contractor, Scandro Holding Ltd.
The CEO of the company, Marios Michael, said that the ship is located at the Limassol anchorage and tomorrow it is expected to enter the port "for the finishing touches".
The ship, he continued, has been completely renovated in Suez, then found in Salamis and Piraeus for the new furnishings and tomorrow various machines are placed for the cafeteria, the restaurant and everything else that remains.
"Tomorrow, the ship enters port for the latter, we are working on a 24-hour basis," Mr Michael said, noting that the first trips will assess any shortages or needs and any passenger comments on improvements.
On Sunday, he stressed, "a new story is being written and despite the tight time frames, we are ready", indicating that this is a big project that people have already embraced, as bookings have exceeded all expectations.
Specifically, as he said, while the technical studies estimated about 3,000 passengers per year, the reservations so far exceed 6,500, while reservations have been made for more than 1,500 motor vehicles and mainly motorcycles.
"We have invested a lot in this project but we did it to help people embrace it," he said, stressing that "we don't want this project to be for one, two, three or six years, we want this project to stay."
Mr. Michael recalled that the company chose a ship with the capacity to carry more passengers than the minimum provided for in the tender (100). The M/V Daleela, he added, could carry up to 700 people, but the license it secured concerns 340 people in total, including staff, with the maximum number of passengers being around 270 per trip.
It is reminded that, apart from the restaurant, the cafeteria and the clinic provided for in the contract, the ship will operate a bar and a playground, casino and services for the transportation of pets, while the price for a full meal will not exceed €12. "Despite inflation, we felt it would be dishonest on our part to vary the prices we had announced," said the CEO of Scandro Holding Ltd.
The ship sails from Limassol port at noon on Sunday with 173 people, among them the Deputy Minister to the President Kyriakos Kousios, the Deputy Ministers of Shipping and Tourism, Vassilis Dimitriadis and Savvas Perdios, the Deputy Minister of Tourism of Greece Sofia Zacharaki, MPs, journalists and members of the team that worked on the whole project.
It will be preceded by a ceremony, in the presence of the President of the Republic, while a welcoming ceremony of the ship will take place on Monday, at 19:00, upon its arrival at the terminal B' "Themistocles", at the port of Piraeus.
CNA
