Larnaca marina decision edges closer

IDecisions on the stalled port and marina redevelopment in Larnaca are expected soon, transport minister Alexis Vafeades said on Friday.

Speaking on Sigma TV, the minister said the core issue surrounding the port and marina redevelopment was risk management, after three contracts have been terminated over the past 20 years.

He said past failures were not due to shifts in political will but to contractors failing to meet essential obligations.

“I don’t care who the applicant is. We care about which solution we will adopt as a country,” he said.

Vafeades confirmed that a ministry study prepared with the Hellenic Superfund and Dutch experts, alongside a request linked to shareholders of the former Kition consortium, was under evaluation.

The legal service, he added, was merely defining the legal framework rather than endorsing any singular proposal.

The Superfund has already argued against a single unified development, urging that each facility be financially sustainable on its own.

Vafeades warned that without integration into a wider supply chain strategy, Larnaca port could struggle to serve even the domestic market within two years.

The financial component of the study is set to be delivered in mid April, after which any alternative arrangement would need time to be legally concluded.

Separate development with state involvement, he said, could allow shorter timelines.

Vafeades is due to brief Larnaca’s development committee later on Friday amid local frustration and recent protests calling for an end to delays.

Vafeades defended the state in making “an extraordinary effort” to salvage the previous agreement, saying termination had been the only option once key guarantees were not provided.