Larnaka cruise hub moves a step further to completion

Last week the Cypriot government started negotiations with the winning consortium for the development of the port of Larnaka into a major cruise hub for the Eastern Mediterranean. The €1bn project ‘should move ahead with delay’, said Communications Minister Nicos Nicolaides.

Talks are taking place with the seven-member Vouros consortium, which was awarded the project after the original result of awarding the contract to the Zenon consortium was overturned by the Cyprus Tenders Review Authority. Adding to mounting delays in realising this major project, Zenon launched an appeal, but has now stepped aside.

Vouros will design, build, finance and operate the new Larnaka cruise port under a 35-year concession before ownership reverts to the public. Over the course of the concession Cyprus will receive seven per cent of revenue, which Mr. Nicolaides said was worth more than €100m. Sphere: Related Content

Med ports told to improve their act

Leading cruise industry personnel at last week’s MedCruise general assembly in Cartagena, Spain called for Mediterranean cruise ports to improve their act if they wanted to receive the latest generation of large modern vessels. A number of cruise line executives highlighted the fact the a number of ports are not growing their infrastructure in line with cruise lines investment in new tonnage. Costa’s port operations manager Elisabetta de Nardo singled out the lack of dedicated cruise berths at many Med ports and limited long term investment plans for cruise infrastructure. MSC Cruises’ Port Captain Luigi Pasterna was also critical of many Med ports, while AIDA’s Kay-Uwe Maross said that Med ports needed to develop a reliable long term berth reservation system, as the first-come, first-served system was simply not acceptable anymore. Sphere: Related Content