Cyprus launches study to expand naval base for larger ships, unmanned systems

A US soldier verifies elevations near a building site on the Evangelos Florakis Naval Base, Cyprus, on 8 March 2024. (US Navy)

Cyprus' Ministry of Defence (MoD) has awarded a contract for a year-long study exploring options to expand the Evangelos Florakis Naval Base in Mari on the southern coast of the island, according to an MoD update published on Facebook on 6 October 2026.

Commodore Nicolaos Luca of the Cyprus Navy (CN) told Janes on 8 October that the expansion primarily concerns harbour infrastructure and maritime facilities. The existing land area of the naval base will remain unchanged at this stage, although upgrades to ground facilities are envisaged. The MoD identified the contractor as the TRITON–MARNET consortium including two Athens-based Greek engineering consultancies: TRITON Consulting Engineers S.A., specialising in civil, marine, structural, geotechnical and environmental engineering, and MARNET S.A., formally Marine Applied Research and New Technologies S.A., specialising in port, harbour, coastal and environmental engineering.

The primary objective of the study is to provide sufficient berthing capacity for more than eight large-displacement surface combatants and support ships operated by “friendly navies”, said Luca, adding that the use of the base will be subject to the approval of the country's authorities. The study will determine the final number of berths, vessel size limitations, and technical specifications.

Currently, the harbour can only support the requirements of the CN which operates a compact littoral security fleet comprising patrol vessels and coastal craft. The largest vessel is the general support ship Alasia (A620), displacing 900 tonnes, with a length of 62 m, and a beam of 10.7 m. The CN's mission covers territorial defence and humanitarian support operations. However, the service has contributed to naval-air operations.