A key priority of the government as per a decision of the Council of Ministers, is the construction of an emblematic building for the Deputy Ministry of Shipping, with an equally magnificent conference center, on the site of the former "Nemitsas" factory in the heart of the shipping industry in Limassol, Transport Minister Alexis Vafeades told "Entrepreneurial Limassol".
He pointed out that President Nikos Christodoulides considers the project very important, and a great effort is being made by the Ministry to ensure that it will become a point of reference. Procedurally, according to Alexis Vafeades, a preliminary needs assessment was carried out by the Deputy Ministry of Shipping, which has been sent to the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works. The competent Departments of the Ministry are currently working on the building program to decide what they will incorporate in the tender documents for the project.
An architectural competition will be announced for this ambitious building, but there is no provision for the design and construction process to be assigned to the successful candidate, the Minister clarified. Regarding the Conference Centre, according to which according to the Deputy Minister of Shipping Marina Hatzimanoli must be included in the new building complex, Mr. Vafeades agrees that it is necessary for Limassol, stressing that it should be accessible to the public, to serve the city in general and not exclusively the needs of the Deputy Ministry. He also revealed that exercises are being carried out on whether it is feasible for it to have a capacity of two thousand delegates, so that there is no comparable to it in the wider region.
The new building of the Deputy Ministry of Shipping will fully serve the purposes of the green transition with zero carbon dioxide footprint, since it will produce as much energy as it consumes. Office space will be smaller based on a new policy that will be enacted, with the aim of saving energy, space, and expenditure for the project. It will also have automations, with human presence detectors, for example, that will turn off lights and air conditioning when no staff is moving.
The Transport Minister clarified that the building will not be ready during the Cyprus Presidency of the EU in 2026, and it would not be right for the government to commit to its delivery by then, since any reversal will also affect the plans for the no less important Presidency. Alexis Vafeades estimated that the architectural competition and its results will be announced withing 2024.
As recently announced by the Deputy Minister of Shipping, the Council of Minsters approved months ago the retention of the Nemitsas block, in the Zakaki area, opposite the building complex of the Limassol Chamber of Commerce and Industry, on behalf of the Deputy Ministry and this has been published in the Government Gazette. The Deputy Ministry of Shipping is currently housed in three buildings, has 140 officers and when the new positions that have been released are filled, it will reach 170, which makes it larger than some Ministries.
Marina Hatzimanoli believes that due to the important position that Cyprus holds in World Shipping, it is appropriate to have a suitable building for the Deputy Ministry, in which all relevant services will be provided to international shipping companies.
