29.12.2023
A decision on the tender for the Paphos Marina is expected to be made at the end of 2024, at which time the winning bidder will be known.
Giorgos Mais, President of the Paphos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (EVE Paphos ), explained that the application procedures and consultation services for the project have been completed. He said that if no objections are raised by the end of April 2024, the assessment and award of the proposal is expected to proceed, after which tender documents will be prepared. By the end of 2024, the tender should be completed and the winning investor will be known.
Despite the long delays and setbacks, Mais stressed that Paphos Marina is of paramount importance to the region. Its creation is expected to improve the tourism product, support marine tourism and support other marinas in Cyprus.
Mais said that he recently spoke with the President, who assured him that the procedures would be expedited and that the Deputy Ministry of Tourism and the government as a whole would do everything necessary to move the project forward as soon as possible, because, as Nikos Christodoulides said, “this is part of the government strategy in the field of tourism.”
Three financial institutions have submitted bids for consultancy services on the Paphos Marina project in the Potima Bay area of Kissonerga .
Once the consulting organization is selected, it will be responsible for preparing tender documents to find a strategic investor for the project.
Paphos Marina
Since the original study was carried out more than 30 years ago, the Paphos marina project has been stalled due to bureaucracy and legal battles:
- The tender for the wharf was first floated in 2007 and has since faced numerous delays and objections from rival consortiums and companies.
- In 2008, the project was transferred to Pandora Group ( Leptos ) after intense competition between Aristo and Pafilia . But Aristo , which took second place in the competition, objected to the decision, claiming irregularities in the submission of documents necessary for the tender. Aristo’s objection was upheld and a commission was created to study the situation. Subsequently, a contract with Pandora Group ” was canceled and the contract for the construction of the pier was transferred to ” Aristo “. Then Pandora The Group decided to take the case to the Supreme Court for several legal reasons. The company claimed that it was not consulted during the review proceedings when their original tender was re-examined.
- In December 2015, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Poseidon Grand Marina of Paphos , a joint venture in which Aristo was the main shareholder. Poseidon was subsequently awarded the contract in May 2016. But, although the Poseidon consortium Grand Marina of Paphos won the legal battle, it was unable to provide adequate evidence of its ability to finance the project, and Pafilia , which was next on the tender list, was asked to provide evidence that it could finance the construction and operation of the marina.
- Poseidon appealed to the Supreme Court that the committee responsible for overseeing the tender process to build a marina in Paphos was illegal, and in January 2018 their appeal was accepted.
- In 2018, the Council of Ministers appointed a “new” marina management committee to review documents submitted as part of the marina tender and has just awarded a contract to Pafilia . But in October 2018, Pafilia decided to withdraw its appeal.
- The government has announced a new tender in 2021. The authorities chose the winner, but Ernst/Young Cyprus once again challenged the process in court and the project was shelved. The Cyprus Tender Review Committee later rejected the appeal. The tender was awarded to the Deloitte consortium Ltd and Triton Consulting Engineers SA, who were commissioned to prepare the relevant study. Construction was expected to begin in late 2021, but the project never got off the ground.
If and when Paphos Marina is built, it is expected to have a capacity of 1,000 berths. The project will take about three years to complete. In addition to a berth for 1,000 ships, the project will include more than 42,000 square meters of residential and commercial real estate.
