Professional groups affected by changes in the running of the container terminal at the port of Limassol, received further assurances on Wednesday that their grievances were being addressed.
During his third visit to the port since Sunday, transport minister Marios Demetriades held a meeting with Povek – a group representing smaller enterprises and professionals of various trades – as well as with representatives of the customs-clearing agents and of the shipping association.
Delays in cargo handling at the port occurred after a private company, Eurogate, took over the container operations.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, which included Eurogate officials, the professional groups said they received assurances from the company that their demands were being looked into.
For his part, the transport minister said improving the quality and speed of services at the port was paramount.
He said some delays still existed in the servicing of ships.
“There remains a great deal of room for improvement, the company needs to take corrective action, and we shall be monitoring the situation,” Demetriades noted.
But in the meantime, he added, the services provided by the operator should be at “a minimum acceptable level.”
He said the company would be afforded a little more time to sort out certain procedural matters as well as its pricing policy.
But the handling of containers had improved markedly since the private operator first took over from the Cyprus Ports Authority a little over a week ago.
“However, our objective certainly is that we should be operating at a higher level than previously [before privatisation],” the minister said.
The trailer truck drivers were meanwhile set to convene on Wednesday evening to assess the situation at the port and take any decisions.
The drivers complain the transition has slowed down the processing of containers, due to new procedures implemented by Eurogate, resulting in long queues.
Clearing agents’ main grievance is the operator’s refusal to allow payments to be made in situ, resulting in the agents having to go to their offices thus delaying the clearing process.
The agents also oppose the company’s policy to transport the containers earmarked for inspection by the state – veterinary or health services – instead of allowing them to do the job much faster.
On top of the delay, they said, there was an extra cost of €130 per load.
On Tuesday, customs agents terminated a 24-hour strike following assurances by the operator that their demands would be met.
Eurogate has reportedly agreed to consider revising its rates.
