The Deputy Ministry of Tourism has announced a January 25 deadline for stakeholders to submit suggestions on the Paphos Marina project, following the release of its basic specifications.
George Mais, president of the Paphos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, explained that the ministry published the marina’s key features before Christmas to enable potential bidders and consortia to begin preparations.
Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), Mais noted that after the consultation period concludes, the ministry will invite expressions of interest. This will be followed by a pre-selection process to identify consortia that meet the project’s criteria, paving the way for the tender stage.
As part of the ministry’s stakeholder engagement efforts, representatives from the firm responsible for drafting the tender documents recently met with officials from the Paphos Chamber, Mais added.
“We are maintaining communication and will submit our written feedback by the January 25 deadline specified in the ministry’s publication. Some of our suggestions, which appear to have been partially overlooked, will be included,” Mais told CNA.
Local stakeholders are keen to avoid further delays in securing an investor for the large-scale development planned at Potima Bay in Kissonerga. While the current timeline is unlikely to be shortened, efforts are focused on establishing clear and precise terms to prevent complications during the bidding process. This aims to avoid issues experienced in the past, such as unsuccessful bidders appealing to the Review Authority and courts.
If interest is forthcoming, the project tender is expected to be awarded by early 2026. Authorities are placing significant emphasis on carefully crafting tender terms to minimize future disputes and ensure a smooth process.
Paphos marina more than 30 years and still not built
Since an initial study was carried out more than 30 years ago, the Paphos marina project has been stalled by bureaucracy and legal battles.
In 2008 the contract was initially awarded to the Cybarco Pandora consortium of which the Leptos Group was a member. The two other bidders, Poseidon and Pafilia, contested the award claiming that the Cybarco Pandora consortium used insider information that enabled it to bid a lower figure.
Eventually, in May 2016, the marina contract was awarded to the Poseidon consortium following a legal battle. Although the consortium secured a letter from the Bank of Cyprus in which the bank guaranteed to fund the entire project, Poseidon was unable to demonstrate that it had €122 million or 60 per cent of the total project cost of €215 million.
In 2017 Pafilia Developers, which was next on the list of tenders, was invited to tender for the marina’s construction and operation.
In 2018, the Supreme Court upheld an appeal by the Poseidon consortium that the committee responsible for overseeing the Paphos marina tender process was unlawful.
In July 2018 the contract to build the Paphos marina was awarded to Pafilia by the ‘new’ Marina Management Committee.
But in October, Pafilia decided to withdraw its interest.
In 2019, the possibility of building facilities for cruise ships as part of a proposed Paphos marina was discussed at a meeting on Tuesday between the Transport Minister and the deputy tourism minister with the leadership of the Paphos Chamber of Commerce.
In 2020, the ministry of tourism announced that the process to open a tender to secure the services of a specialised consultant to examine the proposal of establishing a combined marina and cruise ship docking facility in Kissonerga.
In 2021, the Paphos marina was delayed yet again when one of the interested parties raised an objection with the ‘tenders review authority’, which meant that nothing could continue until the matter was resolved. Two moths later the objection was rejected.
In 2023, the process of hiring consultants to prepare documents for the marina was postponed due to issues with the documents submitted for legal review.Bottom of Form
Later in 2023, the president of the Paphos Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that the procedures regarding the submission of bids for the consultancy services for the project have been completed. He expected the tendering process to be concluded by the end of 2024, if no-one raised objections before the end of April 2024.
In 2024, the Deputy Minister of Tourism and Deloitte Triton Paphos Marina Consortium signed on Monday a 30-month contract to provide consulting services over the tender process for the Paphos marina development.
If there are no more hiccups and delays, it’s anticipated that the project will be awarded to the successful bidder by the end of 2026 and the marina completed by 2029. (But don’t hold your breath.)
The fact the Pafos Marina Project has not moved 1 cm in 30 years, discredits all the players involved.
Such projects are not rocket science; in fact Cyprus has recent experience in the tendering/planning/design/construction of such projects. Lessons learned will mitigate risk. So, what is the problem?
There are European, UK and global companies that are fully resourced that can and would love to do the job.
€150 million is a big deal and Cypriot workers deserve the opportunity.
The money is available, why wait, why talk? Just do it.