Filenews 5 January 2025 - by Chrysanthos Manoli
ETYFA's tender process for the selection of a project manager for the unfinished project of the Vasilikos natural gas terminal is in its final stage.
According to what the president of DEFA and ETYFA, George Asikalis, told Fileleftheros, a huge effort was made by the service and the boards of directors of the two state organizations to complete the evaluation for the selection of the contractor, as the project is extremely complex and became even more complicated after the termination of the contract with CPP and the cessation of works.
Mr. Asikalis pointed out that the procedures provided by the legislation on public procurement are de facto time-consuming, but especially the nature of the tender tendered for the selection of a project manager by ETYFA had additional particularities, as it basically required a double procedure (two phases) of submission and evaluation of proposals.
The president of DEFA (and ETYFA) said that the four months from the announcement of the tender until this stage, which is not far from the final decision, is not a long time, mutatis mutandis and the history of the project.
He pointed out that along with the evaluation of the tenders, ETYFA and its limited staff, but also with the valuable assistance of the members of the Board of Directors, made a hard effort to manage the other open fronts, such as the release of the ship Prometheus, the successful outcome of which is, Mr. Asikalis noted, a very important development for Cypriot interests. ETYFA also spends time and energy on managing the major issue of arbitration that continues in London, with the assistance of legal advisors in London and Nicosia.
He did not want to go into the exact state of the evaluation for the project manager, but said that a decision and signing a contract are close.
Unofficial information of "F" states that the proposal that has the most chances for acceptance by ETYFA concerns an organization with a very good reputation abroad and with rich experience in the management of problematic – unfinished projects.
The information we have also mentioned that at the next stage ETYFA will announce offers for the selection of a new owner's engineer, replacing Hill International, whose contract expired and was not renewed.
Regarding the infrastructure in Vasilikos, the upcoming selection of a project manager will pave the way for new bids to be prepared to find the contractor who will complete the pier and land facilities. Due to the complexity of the situation as left in Vasilikos by the Chinese company (which has reportedly not yet delivered all its documents, designs, individual agreements with subcontractors, orders for materials and equipment, etc.), it is of particular importance that the project manager quickly assess the situation in terms of calculating and recording the remaining work and cost estimate. in order to launch the new construction tender.
Mr. Asikalis told Fileleftheros that an effort will be made to utilize, due to the urgent need to complete the project, all the provisions offered by law for accelerating procedures.
Certification and rental
It is also expected that tenders will soon be announced for the selection of a shipyard or LNG terminal, so that Prometheus can be transported there for its final certification as a floating natural gas storage and regasification unit (FSRU). For the time being, Prometheus has secured (from Lloyd's, before leaving Shanghai) a certification for the transport of liquefied gas, for a period of four years (LNG Carrier). The tenders for the final certification of Prometheus and for its possible lease as an FSRU for the interim period of completion of the works at the Vasilikos terminal will be announced after the completion of the technical inspection on board the ship, in Malaysia, to determine the shortcomings that exist so that the ship can be deemed capable of operating as an FSRU.
From the estimates so far from the inspection of the ship it is concluded that the initial information about significant deficiencies and costs of €12-13 million was not enough to cover them are not confirmed. However, ETYFA is anxiously awaiting the final report from the technicians who are currently inspecting the ship.
