€30m projects to upgrade the marina and surrounding area
Photo by KYPE
The Government is officially proceeding with the separation of the two projects of the development of the port and the marina of Larnaca, which is setting the stage for projects to upgrade the marina and the surrounding area and the construction of a building for the Naval Group, with an estimated value of up to €30 million plus VAT , thus listening to the recommendations of the city's stakeholders.
At the same time, as stated in a press conference in Nicosia, the Minister of Transport, Communications and Works, Alexis Vafeadis, in a joint approach of the Ministry with the recommendations of the ad hoc committee of Larnaca, the decisions on the expansion of the marina and the port of the city will be made at a later stage after a relevant expert study.
It is recalled that these decisions were taken after the termination of the €1.2 billion joint development contract by the Kition Ocean Holdings consortium on May 27, marking the third failure of the whole effort after 2010 and 2015.
“The termination of the contract should not deprive the city of Larnaca of the projects and our decisions on the next steps should take into account the fastest possible implementation of the projects”, emphasized Alexis Vafeadis.
In particular, with regard to the maintenance and upgrading of the marina, works will be carried out to deepen the marine area of about 25,000 sq.m. at the mouth of the marina, as well as maintenance work within the marine zone, for the completion of maintenance work on a preserved dock, for the creation of a new lifting and maintenance area for boats, as well as moving fencing due to the construction of the Larnaca Yacht Club.
At the same time, the building of the Larnaca Maritime Club that will be erected, will include offices for use by the Marina Directorate and government services, entertainment areas for the public and it is expected that “it will develop into a social entertainment area for citizens and provide services for users of the marina”.
“Potentially it will be an emblematic building for Larnaca and for its design a fast-paced architectural competition will be announced, in a way that will not burden the project in terms of time. It must be a landmark building, as it will mark a main gateway to the Republic of Cyprus,” he stressed.
Finally, works will be done to create a park and green spaces, landscaping with free use by the public for entertainment purposes. and recreation, providing visitors with free access to the marine area of the marina and to the activities of the Marine Club.
As noted by Mr. Vafeadis, the value of the projects is estimated at €25-30 million, plus VAT, with the Ministry of Transport as the Contracting Authority exclusively or in collaboration with the Municipality of Larnaca, depending on the Municipality's ability to carry out the specific individual projects .
Regarding the timetables, Mr. Vafeadis said that the work on the maintenance and upgrading of the marina is expected to be completed around September 2026, compared to March 2027, which was the timetable of Kition, the construction of the Yacht Club due to will be completed in December 2027, compared to February 2027, while work on the park and green spaces is expected to be completed by September 2026, compared to the March 2027 milestone contract with Kition.
Questionnaire about Kition studies
Regarding the delivery of the studies carried out by Kition for these projects, Mr. Vafeadis said that the matter has not yet been clarified. “We expect that this will be clarified very soon and that they will transfer us – as they have transferred the equipment to the state – and the studies as an asset, which according to the contract should be transferred”, he said, adding that if the company does not cooperate “we will handle it accordingly”.
Besides, Mr. Vafeadis said that the Ministry of Transport and the ad hoc committee have a common approach that the decisions to expand the marina and the port can be made after a relevant study by experts, while the development needs of the port must be evaluated in relation to the expansion of the port in Vassiliko.
As he said, their development will be carried out through a public-private contract process, while first the interest from investors, both in Cyprus and abroad, will be explored through a short consultation process , which is not expected to exceed three months, and then experts will be assigned the preparation of the study.
He noted that the approach to the port of Larnaca must remain as a passenger port to serve the cruise tourism market.
“The needs of the state must be reassessed, we must see where we are after twenty years, we have to reassess what the country needs today, what the state needs, what services what infrastructure and then decisions are made. That is why we say that we are separating the two, to give time to study both separately so that they can be implemented separately and operate in such a way that serves not only Larnaca but also the needs of the country”, he said.
Finally, Mr. Vafeadis reminded that tenders have already been announced for the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan with a cost of approximately €18 million and a completion horizon of 2026, while the Ministry of the Interior will study the possibility of speeding up the study and construction for the extension of Panagouli Avenue which will allow the faster development of the northern part of Larnaca.
