The long-standing effort to upgrade and fundamentally revitalize the port of Mavris Limnonas in Chora Sfakion is finally moving to the next stage, as the study for the improvement and expansion of the project has been fully completed. In practical terms, this involves the creation of a new port, as requested by the local community and the Chania regional unit for the past two decades.
As emphasized in a post by Dimitris Virirakis, president of the Chania Port Authority, the completion of the study came after 4.5 years, 42 approvals, and a process that – as often happens with major public projects – went through successive levels of review, technical additions, and environmental assessments. The project is already included in the Sectoral Development Program of the Ministry of Shipping and Island Policy, with secured funding for its implementation, on the same axis as similar projects in Palaiochora and Gavdos.
The tendering of the project is expected as the next step, with a budget of approximately 15 million euros. The study was funded in 2021 with an amount of 270,000 euros, and since then it has followed a complex path, as environmental objections and local political disputes even threatened to remove the project from the plan. At the same time, compensatory measures arising from more recent scientific studies by the University of the Aegean and other experts contributed to a complete reassessment of the requirements.
In any case, excerpts from Diavgeia confirm the approval process, while the first renderings highlight the new design of a port that aims to enhance safety, functionality, and the overall tourism potential of the area.
The project now enters the maturation phase for tendering, with the local community anticipating the start of works that will give a new perspective to southern Crete.
