Filenews 16 July 2025 - by Charalambos Zakos
So far, the issue of the Cyprus-Lebanon ferry connection, about which "F" had written, remains open.
According to the latest information, nothing new has emerged regarding the maritime connection. Although the interest of investors remains, however, so far no licenses have been issued.
Competent sources who spoke to "F" reiterated that foreign investors have expressed interest in the creation of a ferry connection between Cyprus and Lebanon, however, so far no serious developments have emerged, noting at the same time that the reports of foreign news media – in which information is recorded for the start of routes in a few days – do not correspond to the real data.
As reported to us by the same sources, the potential investors had met with bodies in Cyprus asking for information on the procedures to be followed for the issuance of the relevant licenses. Beyond that, there are no other developments. In short, although the issue is not considered stagnant, however, so far there is no information that confirms that the ferry connection between Cyprus and Lebanon can start immediately.
Cyprus as a refuge
Foreign news reports say that Lebanese see Cyprus as a refuge in cases of tension. As they note, in case of tensions, such as the recent ones, various problems are caused. During the recent conflict, flights could not meet the demand that arose, and several Lebanese residents were forced to pay large sums to leave the country on yachts and other boats.
Increase in tourism
As described, in addition to serving businessmen and others to travel both to Cyprus and Lebanon, Cyprus can be an intermediate hub for Lebanese travel to the rest of Europe. In fact, as it is noted, under this dimension additional benefits will arise for Cypriot tourism. It should be noted that according to estimates, about 100,000 Lebanese arrive in Cyprus every year during the summer season.
Infrastructure investments
As "F" had written before, the investors informed competent bodies that they want the company's base to be located in Cyprus and the line to be operated by a Cypriot-flagged ship, while their intention is to invest in the creation of various infrastructure in the port of Larnaca.
The first contacts were made through Invest Cyprus, while the investors have already held meetings with the Ministry of Transport and the Deputy Ministry of Shipping.
Ticket prices
Although, as we mentioned so far, there is no serious development with the issue, however, based on estimates, it is estimated that the ferry ticket will be about 20% cheaper than the airline, with calculations talking about prices close to 200 dollars. The price of air tickets to and from Lebanon exceeds 300 dollars.
The duration of the trip will be about four hours, with the plan being that the route will take place from the port of Larnaca to the port of Jounieh, located north of the port of Beirut.
