Despite the turbulent and inevitable divorce between the Government and Kition Ocean Holdings, interest in Larnaca’s marina and port remains high. In addition to the Emir of Qatar, who, according to the Government, expressed interest in the project, there have been approaches from other suitors, mainly from within the country.
Interest in Larnaca’s Marina
The marina in Larnaca is of particular interest, and this is the main reason why the proposal to separate the project and abandon the unified development, decided in 2005, has been put on the table. “I am not aware of the discussions with Qatar, but I know that there is interest in the marina from private individuals. Some have already approached us,” Larnaca’s mayor Andreas Vyras told Phileleftheros, indicating that the proposal for separation is gaining ground.
The Government is open to discussing this possibility and is simultaneously moving forward with procedures to get the project back on track. The President of the Republic, after publicly expressing the need to expedite the processes, gave instructions during yesterday’s Cabinet meeting for the formation of a working group dedicated exclusively to this matter. “The President wants to see immediate results; it is not a medium-term priority for him; it is immediate,” the Minister of Transport told Phileleftheros, indicating that the Emir of Qatar’s interest in the project “gives hope that when we go out to tenders, we will see interest from investors from other countries as well.”
For now, both scenarios (unified redevelopment and separation) remain on the table, and Friday’s meeting of the Larnaca Development Committee with the Minister of Transport is considered pivotal for the project’s future. The only certainty is that the Larnaca Municipality will demand greater involvement to have a say in the process. “What we will demand is the intense participation of the Municipality in the process, as was the case with the removal of the oil tanks. This time, we will not accept being left out of the agreement; they must find a way to include the Municipality,” Vyras said, following his meeting yesterday with the President of the Larnaca Chamber of Commerce and Industry to record the data to be presented on Friday to Transport Minister Alexis Vafeades.
The President of the Larnaca Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Nakis Antoniou, said that they would propose the formation of a committee comprising the city’s stakeholders to conduct a techno-economic study for the project. “What we want is for them to give us two months to prepare a study, and then go out to tenders with express procedures. Our goal is to go back only six months,” he reiterated, repeating that to facilitate the process, the proposal for separating the project would be put forward.
The President of the Cyprus Employers and Industrialists Federation (OEB) and former President of the Larnaca Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Stavros Stavrou, stated: “We support the government’s position, and the project will be delivered. No one can blackmail either the state or the Municipality, but above all, the citizens of Larnaca. We must all stand united, and ways will be found to move the project forward, but without the pressures and blackmail of anyone.”
He appealed for the matter to be kept away from the pre-election campaign, saying, “I call on everyone to keep these sensitive issues away from pre-election expediencies because, by June 10, we must all stand united for the good of Larnaca. Everyone must realise that it would be a disaster if we allowed the project to continue and ended up with a construction site that we, Larnacans, would see every day.”
The matter will be discussed exceptionally on Friday in the House Transport Committee. According to Phileleftheros, the Ministry of Transport sent the contract with the company, which was not made public due to a confidentiality clause, to the House of Representatives, where it is accessible to MPs of the committee.
In the meantime, the Port Authority has regained full control of Larnaca port since the early hours of Tuesday, and it is currently operating without problems. It has also been decided that the Ministry of Transport will take over the management of the marina.
