Vafeades to brief Larnaca authorities on marina study later this week

Transport minister Alexis Vafeades will brief Larnaca’s development committee on Friday regarding the findings of a study into the future of the city’s port and marina, authorities confirmed on Tuesday.

Vafeades is expected to present the study’s conclusions, and outline available options for the stalled projects.

Larnaca mayor Andreas Vyras said the discussion that will follow is “of decisive importance for the course of the development of the two projects”.

Vyras said the minister would also address a proposal link to former project stakeholders, aimed at reviving the development.

“The minister will inform us about the proposal, will present the study and the options available, and will respond to our proposal to create a team to monitor the schedules,” he said.

He added that the municipality would attend the meeting “with a willingness to cooperate, and the sole aim of serving the interests of the city and its citizens”.

The meeting follows a sharply worded letter sent by the municipality to the transport minister earlier this month after a previous session of the development committee on February 2.

In that letter, the committee expressed what it described as its “unanimous strong dissatisfaction” over delays in the study’s delivery and assessments by foreign experts, as well as the absence of clear timetables for the next steps.

The municipality demanded that within 15 days all parameters of the proposal to revive the project by shareholders of the former Kition consortium be examined and presented to the committee, alongside the ministry’s documented position.

It also called for “clear and specific timetables” for the completion of studies, public consultation and a roadmap “for how we will achieve the desired development of both the port and marina as soon as possible”.

The letter warned that failure to provide “clear and comprehensive answers” could lead to “dynamic action at the end of February and the beginning of March”.

The port and marina redevelopment has been mired in uncertaintysince the government terminated its contract with Kition Ocean Holdings in March 2024 following a dispute over financial guarantees.

Vafeades has repeatedly said the government wants to move the project forward while rebuilding trust with the local community.

Despite those assurances, frustration has intensified in Larnaca, spilling into public protests in recent weeks.

Demonstrators gathered in Europe square carrying banners calling for an end to delays and accusing authorities of “mockery of projects”.