2023-Cyprus-Country-Report

CYPRUSCOUNTRY REPORT 2023
liability shipping company law was adopted in October 2022, allowing for streamlined
services via the Deputy Shipping Ministry.
The shipping cluster has been growing with new entrants relocating to Cyprus. Some
examples include the decision in 2022 by leading oil tanker company Frontline to move
from Bermuda to Cyprus, and the move in 2018 by leading London ship insurer P&I Club
to open a post-Brexit EU subsidiary in Cyprus, reaffirming the island’s position as one
of the top global hubs for shipping. Another triumph came in early 2019, when British
shipping firm P&O Ferries decided to register its English Channel operating fleet
under the Cyprus flag to take advantage of the benefits and security it provides. When
it comes to shipmanagement, all the large ship managers have offices in Cyprus. Two
of the industry’s most highly respected privately-owned shipmanagement companies,
Columbia Shipmanagement and Marlow Navigation – both based in Cyprus – merged
in 2017 to form Columbia Marlow, creating one of the world’s largest ship and crewmanagement
companies. Another FDI transaction was the 2018 buyout of Limassolbased
Songa Offshore SE by Transocean Ltd, the world’s largest offshore drilling
contractor for oil and gas wells, in a deal worth US$3.4 billion. In addition, natural
gas finds within Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and efforts to exploit it in
cooperation with neighbouring countries have expanded opportunities for the island’s
already thriving shipping sector.
NEW ENERGY OPPORTUNITIES
C
yprus’ hydrocarbons discoveries captured the attention of global energy
heavyweights when US company Noble Energy, now acquired by US giant Chevron,
made the first natural gas discovery in 2011 with estimated resources of 4.5 trillion
cubic feet (tcf) in the offshore Aphrodite field in Block 12. Chevron owns the licence to
Aphrodite in consortium with Shell and NewMed, while ExxonMobil and Qatar Energy
hold licences in Blocks 5 and 10.
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