Greece ferry link to resume in May

The passenger ferry link between Cyprus and Greece will resume at the end of May, following a successful first season, announced operators Scandro Holding Ltd.

They are currently “at the final processing stage of all the required actions regarding the operation of the maritime passenger connection for this summer season”.

Scandro Holding said it would announce details regarding the service’s operation, such as itineraries, fares, and seat reservation procedures, during the first week of March.

The resumption of the ferry link is slotted in for the last week of May.

t was reintroduced mid-summer last year, some 21 years after it was abandoned, with authorities happy with the results.

According to officials, 8,000 passengers with 2,000 vehicles made the trip from Limassol to Greece last summer since it launched on 19 June.

The last voyage before its reintroduction was carried out on 8 October 2001 with Salamis.

Up to 2001, there were regular departures of ferries from Limassol to Rhodes and Piraeus, but they were discontinued as the 90-minute flight to Athens became more frequent and inexpensive.

The link was reintroduced after obtaining special permission from the European Union, allowing the state to subsidise the otherwise non-viable route.

The government offered a €5.5 mln annual subsidy to secure interest by ship owners to operate the regular ferry link between Limassol and Piraeus.

The route is operated by a Cypriot-registered ferry, the Daleela, which can carry up to 270 passengers and 100 cars. The voyage lasts about 30 hours.

A return ticket in a VIP cabin did cost €160 – about the same as an economy airfare – a return second class cabin was €80, and a return berth for a car up to five metres €203.