From in-cyprus

Cabinet commissions study on Cyprus-Greece ferry link

November 1, 2018 at 4:49pm

Edited by Bouli Hadjioannou

The deputy ministry of shipping will carry out a study on a ferry link between Cyprus and Greece, deputy shipping minister Natasa Pilides said on Thursday.

She told reporters that the deputy ministry had suggested such a study be carried out and that cabinet had given its approval.

There have long been calls for the restoration of a ferry link between the two countries that ceased 18 years ago.

Previous efforts have stumbled on the problem of money, with feasibility studies indicating that such a link would not be financially viable.

But there have been renewed calls on the government to seek to find a solution, most recently by Disy, while an online petition to both the Cyprus and Greek governments has collected thousands of signatures.

Speaking to journalists after the decision of the Council of Ministers, Pilides said that a Cyprus-Greece ferry link would help to further boost tourism and facilitate members of the public who are afraid of flying.

“A study will be carried out with the aim of determining the financial shortfall such a ferry link would create. This would then be re-examined by cabinet so that an official request for financing can be made to the European Commission,” she said.

The procedure is likely to be lengthy as the issue had to be examined by the European Commission, she added.