Cyprus plans to expand Mari base for more than eight allied ships — Cyprus Mail

Cyprus plans to expand the Evangelos Florakis naval base in Mari so that it can accommodate more than eight large warships and support vessels of allied fleets. Cyprus Mail reported this, citing the defence publication Janes.

One-year design study

Cyprus’ Ministry of Defence has commissioned a one-year design study by a consortium of two engineering companies from Athens — Triton and Marnet. Commodore Nikolaos Louka told Janes that the goal is to create a sufficient number of berths for allied naval forces.

According to him, the use of the base by foreign fleets will require approval from the Cypriot authorities. The study is to determine the final number of berths, as well as the specifications of ships the base will be able to service.

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Harbour and infrastructure upgrades

At this stage, the project is focused on the harbour and maritime infrastructure. The base’s land area will not be expanded, but land-based facilities are also planned to be upgraded in the future. The project’s technical specifications and construction schedule have not yet been approved.

Currently, the base can meet the needs of only Cyprus’ small navy, which has patrol and coastal vessels. Its largest ship is the 900-tonne, 62-metre-long support vessel Alasia.

US European Command is funding the construction of a new helipad in Mari for large Chinook-type transport helicopters intended to evacuate people from conflict zones. New facilities for heavy transport aircraft are also to be built at Andreas Papandreou Air Base in Paphos. President Nikos Christodoulides previously announced a €14.7 million initiative to improve the two bases, while Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas estimated the possible cost of upgrading Mari at more than €200 million.