Port of Limassol
Port of Limassol | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | Cyprus |
Location | Limassol |
Coordinates | 34°39′00″N 33°01′00″E / 34.65000°N 33.01667°E |
UN/LOCODE | CYLMS[1] |
Details | |
Opened | 1974 |
Owned by | P&O Maritime
DP World Limassol Ltd. Eurogate Container Terminal Limassol |
The Port of Limassol (Greek: Λιμάνι Λεμεσού, romanized: Limáni Lemesoú), also known as Limassol New Port is the largest port in Cyprus, located in the city of Limassol.
Location
The port is located in the
Importance
Limassol's New Port is now the principal seaport of the island. This was largely a result of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974 leaving the Port of Famagusta within occupied territory and inaccessible.[4] Cyprus is an established player in the shipping industry.[5] The city of Limassol is a centre for numerous global shipping companies. Most of the island’s cargo (importation and exportation) is also handled in this port. In the year 2000, 3,589,000 tonnes of cargo were handled whilst there were roughly 1 million passenger arrival and departures (>90% of total traffic).[6] Over 50 international cruise liners include Cyprus in their Mediterranean Sea routes resulting in much of the passenger traffic.[7]
Operations
The port is capable of handling vessels up to 820 ft (250 m) size for berthing in 45 ft (14 m) of water. It is entered through an approach channel which is 49 ft (15 m) deep and 492 ft (150 m) wide between the ends of two breakwaters.[8] In 2016 the port has been privatized to a consortium led by Eurogate International for the container terminal, while DP World will be the operator for multipurpose passenger terminal.[9][10]
Humanitarian Hub
The port has served numerous times as an evacuation point for refugees fleeing from conflict in the Middle East with most recently hundreds of thousands of EU and other citizens were evacuated from Lebanon.[11][12][13]