Greece-Cyprus Ferry Link to Open in June After 21 Years

Photo: GTP

Nearly two decades later, Greece and Cyprus will be connected by a ferry link which is set to begin operations on June 19, Cyprus’ Deputy Shipping Minister Vassilios Dimitriades announced on Friday.

Of the three companies that submitted bids for the establishment of a passenger maritime link between Cyprus and Greece in January, Scandro Holding Ltd was awarded the project for a bid of 15.59 million euros.

Under the deal, the company is scheduled to operate 22 round trips in 2022 – four in June, eight in July, seven in August, and three in September – with the last route to be carried out on September 16.

Scandro Holding Ltd, a joint venture between Acheon Akti Navigation and tour operator Top Kinisis Travel, will be operating the ferry service between Limassol and Piraeus for the summer on a Cypriot-flagged passenger ferry with a capacity of 400 people.

Dimitriades said the ministry was “currently considering the possible extension of the connection to a third neighboring country, beyond Greece. This is in line with our long-term maritime strategy, which supports cooperation and will contribute to a better connected Europe,” he said.

The ferry includes a restaurant, cafeteria and a clinic in addition to 38 first-class cabins (110 passengers), 68 second-class cabins, and 110 outdoor seats. It can also accommodate up to 100 vehicles.

The journey from Limassol to Piraeus is set to last 30 hours.

The Cypriot government has committed to funding the connection with 5.5 million euros per year for a period of three years and a total of 16.5 million euros.

“We are excited about the connection, which the local community is looking forward to. It will be extremely beneficial for the region as a whole, providing competitive connectivity to our citizens, while promoting maritime tourism between Cyprus and mainland Europe, with very low fares,” said Dimitriades.

Bookings have already begun with ferry fares ranging from 50 euros for a VIP one-way ticket with cabin, 25 euros for a double cabin one way, and 8 euros for a seat no cabin.