Cyprus Deputy Shipping Minister Natasa Pilides announced her Ministry was working tirelessly on the proposal for the European Commission to back a ferry connection between Greece and Cyprus Island which is due to be operational in summer 2020.
According to Pilides, her Ministry was working intensively on the matter with staff dealing with the issue by preparing data to be submitted to the European Union for the first passenger ferry link to Greece in 2 decades.
She added the data to be examined was complex, as there were a variety of issues regarding government subsidies for passengers but not a separate commercial operation for cargo.
There are also consultations with the Greek Ministry of Shipping on issues including passport checks and the way the terms of the ferry link tender are being formulated. Pilides said she hoped to put out a call for tenders for the ferry in the first 3 months of 2020.
The frequency of the route will be once per week from May through September and during the slower winter months once per fortnight. The duration of the sea trip will be thirty hours with fares expected to be cheaper than flying.
Limassol will be the most likely port to serve the route in Cyprus and Piraeus in Greece.