Cyprus’ first open ocean naval vessel – a gift from the Sultanate of Oman – is expected to arrive in Cyprus next week but because of its size, cannot dock at the Evangelos Florakis Naval Base in Mari, Limassol.

The 61.47m vessel which has undergone a €4 million upgrade – courtesy of the Sultanate is expected to dock at either the Limassol or Larnaca ports.

The 948-tonne vessel with a top speed of 15 knots is being crewed by Omani and Cypriot officers on its voyage to Cyprus in order for the Omani sailors to give their Cypriot counterparts practical and hands-on training of the craft’s systems.

The Omani vessel is the first open ocean naval boat to be added to the Cyprus navy, while a second craft, purchased from Israel is expected to arrive in December. They are expected to play a crucial role in patrolling Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone.

The acquisition of the two vessels has also raised the necessity to expand the Evangelos Florakis Naval Base in order to facilitate these craft as well as any other future acquisitions as well as to accommodate search and rescue missions.

Sources close to Phileleftheros have indicated that a private company has expressed interest in undertaking the expansion of the naval base on a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) system.

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