The long-awaited return of a ferry from Lebanon to Cyprus has been postponed again – although not for long.
Cedar Waves, operated by the Abou Merhi Group, was supposed to depart from Jounieh for Larnaca on Tuesday, but was instead stuck at port.
A government source said the decision to postpone the departure date was not security-related, in spite of the conflict that has engulfed Lebanon. They told The National that the decision was taken before the surge in tensions of recent days, in which Lebanon was once more thrust into the centre of global efforts to achieve a regional ceasefire.
The ferry now looks set to return on Friday, June 19. Starting at $95 for a one-way trip, Cedar Waves shows open booking slots for the 19th from Jounieh to Larnaca. According to the booking platform, only a handful of seats have been reserved, let alone paid for in full on the day.
A "Plus" ticket comes in at $145, and a "Lounge" ticket – which includes access to the upper deck but not food – will cost $175. Journeys are scheduled for every couple of days for the rest of June and July.
On its website, Cedar Waves also advertises journeys to Mersin in Turkey and Latakia, on the western coast of Syria. The journey, if and when it happens, would be the first scheduled international passenger ferry service between Lebanon and Cyprus for nearly two decades.
Talk of the possible return of the Lebanon-Cyprus ferry has been part of the annual pre-summer rumour mill in Lebanon. Similar rumours abounded last summer, but the ferry's return was eventually cancelled for logistical reasons.
News reports dating back to 2012 show that Abou Merhi has sought to reintroduce regular trips from Beirut. Private boat journeys, typically small and coming at great expense, have also been chartered from Beirut to Cyprus in recent years, carrying those fleeing Israel's repeated wars in Lebanon. Tickets on these vessels have been around $1000 a journey.
The return of the ferry route, which involves a journey of around four hours, would be a welcome positive sign for a country consumed by war and its knock-on economic effects.
The Israeli military hit Beirut's southern suburbs over the weekend in response to Hezbollah attacking positions inside northern Israel. While Israel and Lebanon announced a conditional truce following talks in Washington last week, intense ground clashes continue in south Lebanon.
Jounieh, a major port city in the Christian heartland of Lebanon, from where the ferry will depart, has not been attacked during this war. It is around 20km from Beirut, and residents can hear and sometimes see Israel's strikes on the capital.
Aside from the ferry route, business conditions in Lebanon are far from ideal given the conflict and impact of the 2019 economic crisis, the effects of which continue to reverberate. Lebanese officials have been keen to draw attention to economic development elsewhere, despite the country's repeated crises.
