Closed Ports of Cyprus
Restrictions imposed by the Republic of Cyprus on vessels calling illegally at ports in the occupied areas of Cyprus
Ports declared closed to all vessels
By an Order of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Cyprus issued on 3 October 1974 (P.I. 265/74)1, the ports of Famagusta, Karavostasi and Kyrenia are declared closed for all vessels.
Order P.I. 265/74 was adopted on the basis of section 25 of the Port Regulation Law, Cap. 294 as amended — now section 15(1) of the Cyprus Ports Authority Law 38 of 1973, as amended by Law 28 of 1979.
Legal sanctions
Section 15(2) of Law 38/73 provides for the relevant sanctions as follows:
“The master and / or the owner of a ship which arrives and departs from a port closed for such ship or enters or stays therein in contravention of an Order under subsection (1) shall be guilty of an offence and be liable to imprisonment not exceeding two years or to a fine not exceeding seventeen thousand and eighty-six euro (€17,086)2 or to both such imprisonment and fine, and in the case of a ship registered in the Register of Cyprus Ships, the Court dealing with the case has the power to order her deletion from the Register of Cyprus Ships.”
Purpose of the restrictions
These restrictions were taken in order to uphold and maintain the sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus over its ports and harbours, and due to the fact that safety of navigation could no longer be guaranteed in the areas illegally occupied by the Turkish Army since 1974.
Shoham calls only at the legal ports of Cyprus
As a compliant Cyprus port agent, Shoham handles vessel calls exclusively at the recognised ports of the Republic of Cyprus — Limassol, Larnaca and Vassiliko. For guidance on lawful port calls in Cyprus, please contact our team.
1 Published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Cyprus No. 1139, Supplement III, dated 4 October 1974.
2 Amount originally provided in Cyprus pounds (ten thousand Cyprus pounds) and converted into Euro in accordance with Notification P.I. 312/2007 (Gazette No. 4210, Supplement III(I), dated 20 July 2007) issued by the Minister of Finance under the Adoption of the Euro Law of 2007 (Law 33(I) of 2007, as amended).
Ports of Cyprus
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