The Cedar Waves. (Credit: Photo provided by Merhi Abou Merhi)
BEIRUT — A long-awaited passenger ferry line linking Lebanon to Cyprus through Jounieh port (Kesrouan) is expected to begin operations in June, after a one-year delay. The ferry, branded Cedar Waves and operated by the Abou Merhi Group, will connect Jounieh to Larnaca in around four hours.
The initiative was first announced in April 2025 by Lebanese manufacturing group INDEVCO, headed by MP Neemat Frem, following meetings with Cypriot officials who had reportedly welcomed the plan. The ferry line had initially been expected to begin operating that summer.
Last year’s delay was “mainly related to port operations and logistical coordination between the authorities involved, which were only finalized on Sept. 9, when the port terminal was deemed ready from a logistics standpoint,” explained Madonna Hoyek, director of Cedar Waves Marine.
By the time port and operational preparations were completed, it was no longer considered commercially viable to launch a primarily seasonal service.
Routes and fees
Contrary to some erroneous information that circulated online, suggesting that the first trip would take place on June 10, maritime operator Abou Merhi and Cedar Waves confirmed to L’Orient-Le Jour that the first sailing is now scheduled for June 19. The ferry will be able to carry 350 passengers.
Passengers holding Lebanese passports will be required to present a valid EU Schengen or Cypriot visa to enter Cyprus.
Beyond the Jounieh-Larnaca line, the operator said additional routes are planned between Mersin in Turkey and Latakia in Syria, with schedules spread across the week. Jounieh is located about 24 kilometers north of Beirut.
The planned Jounieh-Mersin route is expected to take around five and a half hours, while the Latakia-Mersin and Latakia-Jounieh crossings would each take around three hours.
A round-trip ticket between Jounieh and Larnaca is expected to average $220 in June as part of a promotional launch offer, Hoyek said, rising to around $230 from July to September. Fares to Mersin are expected to average about $275, while tickets to Latakia would be around $200. Overall, ferry fares are about 30% cheaper than plane tickets.
For Lebanese travelers, the ferry could offer an alternative way to reach Cyprus before catching more affordable flights to destinations across the Mediterranean and beyond. Passengers will be allowed one checked bag and one carry-on.
In early fall 2025, INDEVCO entered into talks with Merhi Abou Merhi, owner of Abou Merhi Group, and an agreement was eventually reached to transfer operation of the project to him. “We decided to entrust it to professionals who have experience in this field,” said Pierre Akl, president of the International Maritime Academy and former managing director of INDEVCO.
Abou Merhi Cruises operated the Orient Queen cruise ship from 2011 until it was severely damaged by the Aug. 4, 2020, Beirut Port explosion. According to Abou Merhi, the new ferry, which he purchased and which now belongs to Cedar Waves Marine Ltd, was acquired in Italy, where it previously operated on the Naples-Capri route.
If the line begins operating as planned, it would be the first regular passenger ferry link between Lebanon and Cyprus in around two decades. A line operated by the Lebanese Forces ran between Larnaca and Jounieh for about two years during the Civil War before it was discontinued. Since then, Cyprus has only been reachable from Lebanon by plane or private boat.
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