Plans to link Cyprus and Lebanon with a passenger ferry service, were confirmed on Tuesday by Transport Minister Alexis Vafeades.
Speaking to the Cyprus Mail, he said a group of investors informed the government of their intention to commence ferry crossings, and that the government is now expecting services to begin in the near future.
“We, of course, support such a venture, as we want to continue to improve the island’s connectivity,” he said.
Asked when he believes ferries may start, he said the investors had informed the government that plans were for services to start “imminently”, but that no specific timeframe has yet been set.
He also said the permission and planning for ferry routes is agreed between service operators and port operators.
Earlier reports of the planned connection in newspaper Phileleftheros suggested that a ferry crossing from the port of Larnaca to the Lebanese port of Jounieh may take around four hours.
Citizens of all European Union member states as well as those of the United Kingdom, the United States, Russia, Australia and Turkey are all entitled to a 30-day tourist visa upon arrival in Lebanon, provided that their passports contain no stamps issued by the State of Israel.
Jounieh, located a 15-minute drive northeast of Lebanon’s capital Beirut, is known for its seaside resorts, nightlife, old stone souk, and its gondola lift, which takes passengers from the city up a hill to the shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon in the village of Harissa.
The city is twinned with Monaco, Rio de Janeiro and Gustavia, the capital of the French Caribbean island of St Barthelemy.
During the summer months, passenger ferries operate between Cyprus and Greece, connecting the ports of Limassol and Piraeus.
Deputy Shipping Minister Maria Hadjimanoli has in the past extolled the virtues of ferry routes from Cyprus, saying they offer “significant support to those who struggle with air travel, whether due to medical reasons, age, or a fear of flying”.
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