The management, operation and maintenance of the Larnaca Marina will be undertaken by a private individual for a period of 5 years or until the procedures for promoting the project for the general development of the marina are completed, without requiring him to promote any development projects. This decision of the Council of Ministers was announced after today's meeting by the Minister of Transport, Alexis Vafeadis, adding that it was also decided that the ANETEL staff who currently provide services for the purposes of operating the marina, will be transferred from the said company to the private manager within the framework of a relevant agreement for the assignment of the management of the marina.
The Council of Ministers, continued Mr. Vafeadis, also decided that the management, operation and maintenance of the port of Larnaca be undertaken by a private manager for a period of 5 years or until the procedures for promoting a project for the general development of the port of Larnaca are completed, without requiring it to promote any development projects. It has also approved that the ANETEL staff that currently provides services for the purposes of operating the port, be transferred from the said company to the private manager within the framework of a relevant agreement for the assignment of the port's management.
The Cabinet, he stated, authorized the Ministry of Transport to continue the operation of the Larnaca marina and to continue to promote immediate maintenance projects for a temporary transitional period until 31/12/2025 or until a private manager for the Larnaca marina is found, if this comes first.
The Cabinet, he said, has also authorized the Cyprus Ports Authority to continue the management and operation of the port of Larnaca, based on the relevant legislation, and to undertake the promotion of certain immediate maintenance projects for a temporary transitional period until 31/12/2025 or until a private manager is found for the port of Larnaca, if this occurs earlier.
Responding to relevant questions, Mr. Vafeadis said that the relevant legislation on public contracts will be followed for the announcement of interest and clarified that it is not a single development but two separate ones. He has no information whether there is interest, he added, saying that he does not believe that there is an interested party with expertise in both the marina and the port who could undertake both projects. In case there is, he continued, and the conditions that will be set in the terms of the invitation to tender are met, it could be the same person.
He also clarified that there are two transitional periods, one until the private manager is found and the second, when the private manager comes in until the final design for both the port and the marina is decided. Then, they will go out to other bids, he said, in order to give the project to an investor. When asked if there is a timetable, the Minister replied that the effort is to appoint a private manager as soon as possible. “Whether this will require 3 or 6 months, it will depend on the procedures that the Ministry of Transport will follow,” he said.
Vasilikou Port
The Minister of Transport also announced that the Council of Ministers canceled the previous decision of the Cabinet dated 13/5/2019 for the port of Vasilikou and approved the maintenance of the port in question under the management of the Ports Authority. It also approved the Ports Authority's undertaking to promote the expansion project of the port of Vassilikos for the purposes of creating a new industrial port instead of the Ministry of Transport, as provided for in the previous decision.
