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The government is seeking a legal solution to keep Larnaca’s port and marina redevelopment moving, after the Legal Service said the marina’s development must go to an open tender rather than be assigned directly to the Cyprus Ports Authority.
President Nikos Christodoulides spoke with Larnaca Mayor Andreas Vyras on Friday, assuring him that the agreed planning would not change, according to the mayor.
“He told me that he is in contact with the Legal Service and that by Monday the way in which the legal issue will be overcome will be announced, assuring me that there is a solution,” Vyras said.
The intervention follows Thursday’s meeting of Parliament’s Transport Committee, where the legal obstacle came into focus.
What is the problem?
The government’s agreed approach sees the Cyprus Ports Authority carrying out the project. But the Legal Service’s position is that the state cannot simply hand it responsibility for developing the marina.
“If the state wants to grant the development of the marina, it must go out to tender, and if the Ports Authority is interested, it must submit a bid,” Legal Service representative Rena Papaeti Hatzikosta told the committee.
In practical terms, the disagreement concerns how the project can legally be awarded, rather than whether Larnaca should have a redeveloped waterfront. An open competition would mean the authority having to bid instead of receiving the assignment directly.
Why Larnaca is back at this point
The redevelopment was previously entrusted to private operator Kition Ocean Holdings under an agreement covering both the commercial port and the marina.
The government terminated that agreement in May 2024, saying the company had failed to renew a required financial guarantee. The project then returned to state management, with authorities seeking a new way forward.
That history explains the significance of the latest obstacle for residents and businesses: The city is again awaiting clarity over how a major waterfront project will proceed.
The plans concern commercial port activity, marina facilities, and the development of the surrounding area, decisions that could shape business opportunities and how people use Larnaca’s waterfront.
Government says commitment stands
Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis told the Cyprus News Agency that authorities were in constant contact with the Legal Service to resolve the issues immediately and allow planning to continue according to the agreed schedule.
He described the project as strategically important for Larnaca, the economy, and the wider region’s development.
For now, the commitment remains a government assurance. The next test is the announcement Vyras says he expects by Monday: a lawful route forward that turns the agreed roadmap into a project that can proceed.
*With information from the Cyprus News Agency.
