Support for ports authority plans for Larnaca
Local stakeholders appear to have thrown in their lot with a proposal of the ports authority (CPA) after the latter expressed its readiness to undertake the development of the Larnaca port and marina with its own resources, it emerged on Tuesday.
The CPA proposal ensures that projects will be carried out and that they can start immediately, president of the Larnaca Chamber of Commerce (Evel) Nakis Antoniou told local media.
The scenario being advanced is for the state to undertake two crucial infrastructure projects which had been included in the original large-scale contract with Kition Ocean Holdings.
The first concerns the creation of the road connecting Finikoudes with the port and has been costed at approximately €30 million, and the second the construction of two anti-flood pumping stations, for which European funding could also be drawn.
At a later stage the plan foresees the CPA undertaking a relatively modest ‘facelift’ of facilities at the site, far less ambitious than the original agreement, which would nonetheless update the image of the port and marina.
The CPA is already drafting plans and a development committee, set to be established after the June elections, will also evaluate the potential deal.
The head of Evel described the more circumspect project, arguing that the marina, currently able to host 380 boats, did not require a large-scale revamp.
“We don’t need […] a marina of 600 boats […] With the creation of a small arm, the capacity could be increased,” he said.
On the other hand, the port’s management and maintenance could be entirely taken over by the CPA as it is profitable enough.
The final decision rests with the government, with Minister of Transport Alexis Vafeades noting on Monday that currently all options are being heard and recorded.
The minister reiterated the aim of President Nikos Christodoulides to get the derailed project back on track fast and said three main proposals with their relevant sub-options were being weighed.
Asked to comment on the auditor-general’s statement that it will take years to implement the project, the minister insisted this would apply only if the project continued in its original all-inclusive version, not if it were broken up into multiple smaller investments.
“If we go [for] a single development, then the viability of the project needs to be [re]assessed and tenders for a consultant will need to be called […] if we do not go for unified development, it must be decided whether tenders will be announced for a consultant or whether infrastructure projects should be done separately by the state,” Vafeades said.
The CPA proposal was welcome Vafeades said, however emphasising it has not yet been officially submitted.