A request for a Navtex to be issued to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in order to continue the seabed surveys east of Kasos and Karpathos for the laying of the Crete-Cyprus-Israel power cable has been submitted by ADMIE, according to reliable reports, a move that marks the return of the two ships to seabed surveys almost 40 days after the project was frozen.

After a diplomatic and political marathon of processes that culminated in recent days between the regulators of Greece and Cyprus and the environment ministry, it appears that the time is ripe for the resumption of the surveys that were abruptly halted on February 28 when Greece decided to suspend the payment of 36 million euros that is the installment due to Nexans. This amount does not include the cost of the two months of inactivity of the vessels, which is estimated at around EUR 20 million.

The cable manufacturer has played a key role in the developments on GSI as it was its demands for the continuation of the project that pushed the Greek side to find an immediate solution and while talks between Greece France and Israel have been mediated at the highest political level available to restart the project and support it from the geopolitical risks it faces.

The assurances the Prime Minister received from his recent trip to Paris with French President Macron as well as his corresponding trip to Tel Aviv with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu argue in this direction.

The request from the ADMIE to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be forwarded to the Hydrographic Service of the General Staff of the Hellenic Navy of the Ministry of National Defence to determine the survey map within which the research vessels will move.

This is a development of the utmost geostrategic importance for the major electrical interconnection and if all goes as planned, it is not excluded that the ships will return to the Aegean within the next few days. A necessary precondition for this is the availability of the two ships as one of them (Revoli Relume) is reportedly anchored in the Netherlands.