According to Cyprus' Transport Minister Yiannis Karousos, more cruise ships would be serviced daily at Port Limassol after the port's operator (DP World Limassol) said it would set aside the limit of 2 per day. The company said it would serve more than a couple of cruise ships in a given day following complaints from Hull Blyth Araouzos which said that the port operator would not serve one of its vessels in November 2021.
The minister reportedly sought a meeting with DP World Limassol, which refused other ships in the past, citing the 2-ship-per-day policy was to ensure high service quality and a pleasant cruise port experience for the tourists. The company said it had brought in a 40% increase in cruise ships in 2019.
According to Lazaros Charalambous, Commercial Manager of DP World Limassol, those figures proved DP World was a step closer to making the port of Limassol “a major cruise hub in the Mediterranean,” but the government also intends to bring back a ferry link with Greece which was running from the 1960s for 40 years before becoming unprofitable.
In April 2016, DP World Limassol (part of the Dubai-based corporation DP World) received a 25-year concession to exclusively operate the multi-purpose and Cruise terminal in Limassol. The company said in December that more than 34,000 cruise passengers had landed on the island in November.