Following the launch of a formal tender last year, the Cyprus Shipping Deputy Ministry  has announced the award of a tender to reinstate a maritime passenger link between Cyprus and Greece, after a 21-year hiatus.

Following a formal evaluation procedure, the contract for Tender No. SDM 14/2021 has been awarded to Scandro Holding– a joint venture between ship management company Acheon Akti and tour operator Top Kinisis. The company was formed with the ultimate goal of connecting Cyprus and Greece by sea.

Taking into account the anticipated seasonal fluctuations in demand, the Cyprus-flagged ferry, DALEELA, will perform 22 return sailings over the summer period from June to September for the duration of the three-year contract. The journey from Limassol to Piraeus takes 30 hours.

The Ro-Ro vessel, DALEELA, has capacity to carry 400 passengers – 110 in first class cabins, 110 in second class cabins and 110 in airplane seats. The vessel is also capable of carrying vehicles and features a 300-seat restaurant, café, and medical facilities.

The service will be subsidized by state funds, in accordance with the European Union rules governing a Service of General Economic Interest, of €5.475 million annually for the three-year contract, with a possible extension for a further three years.

On awarding the successful tender, Vassilios Demetriades, Cyprus Shipping Deputy Minister, commented: “Scandro Holding LTD was the successful candidate from a number of competitive tenders for this service. We are excited about this link, starting very soon, which has been eagerly anticipated by the local community. It will be hugely advantageous to the region as a whole, providing alternative connectivity to our citizens while promoting maritime tourism between Cyprus and continental Europe, with very low fares.

“Cyprus has a strong maritime infrastructure, and this new facility demonstrates our commitment to continuing to build our relationship with the rest of the Mediterranean and beyond. We are currently investigating the potential extension of the link to a third neighbouring country, beyond Greece. This aligns with our long-term maritime strategy which advocates collaboration, and will contribute to a better-connected European region.”

DALEELA’s first voyage will take place on 19 June 2022 and the last one for this year will be on 16 September 2022.

The Shipping Deputy Ministry presented the main provisions of the tender during an open meeting on 29th November 2021.