Limassol container terminal set for major storage expansion

Eurogate Limassol is preparing to expand storage capacity at its Container Terminal by demolishing one of two warehouses that pre-date the port’s privatisation, a move that Chief Operating Officer Alexandros Dimitriadis said is intended to ease operational pressure and support continued traffic growth.

Speaking to Entrepreneurial Limassol, Dimitriadis said the company has secured approval from the Ministry of Transport to proceed with the demolition of one of the two warehouses located within the port area. The move is expected to free up between 10,000 and 15,000 square metres, which will be used for container storage.

“This will give us a breather,” he said, estimating that once the works are completed, storage capacity at the terminal will increase by around 15 to 20 per cent.

According to Dimitriadis, the project has not yet started, as the relevant permits were only recently obtained. He said that if all goes according to plan, works are expected to begin in early 2026 and last approximately four months.

The cost of the project, he added, is estimated at around €1 million and will be covered by Eurogate Limassol.

Beyond the physical expansion, Dimitriadis explained that the modernisation of the Container Terminal is an ongoing process, noting that progress in Cyprus has been slower than initially anticipated due to various local conditions and constraints.

As part of its immediate planning, he said Eurogate Limassol is continuing preparations for terminal automation, an area where the company has already made “considerable progress”.

Dimitriadis also referred to the planned installation of an automated port entrance system using X-ray technology.

Once implemented, he explained, the system would allow trucks to enter the terminal using a code to collect or deliver cargo, without the need for paperwork, significantly reducing service times.

“It is a project that is on-going, but it takes a lot of time,” he said, explaining that the system requires carriers to pre-book time slots through an application provided by the company, typically a day in advance.

The booking system, he added, includes a grace period of up to two hours.

While the system has not yet been accepted by Povek, which represents the carriers’ associations, Dimitriadis said that a significant number of carriers support the initiative, as it would address complaints related to delays and service times.

He further noted that Eurogate Limassol has already implemented a more advanced refrigerated container management system.

According to Dimitriadis, this allows recipients, particularly large companies, to track refrigerated containers via GPS and remotely monitor and control temperature settings.

Dimitriadis said the positive trend at the Container Terminal is expected to continue, with 2025 projected to close with growth of around 8 to 9 per cent.

He also pointed to steady growth in port traffic in recent years. In 2022, 608 ships called at the port of Limassol, handling approximately 215,000 containers.

In 2023, ship calls increased to 743, with container volumes remaining at roughly the same level. By 2024, he said, ship arrivals exceeded 800, while container throughput rose beyond 250,000.