We started off our Wednesday with a not too long bus trip to the Vassiliko Port, which is owned and operated by the Vassiliko Cement Works, the largest heavy industry in Cyprus. The location has 233 employees and 350 contractors, and the company has factories in 33 countries. The presentation we saw took us through the step by step process they take in the production of cement. The materials come from limestone and clay quarries, which are put through a crusher, grinder, kin line, and cement mills (being stored in multiple silos along the way) until getting finished cement. The cement is then often sold in 25 lb bags or shipped via truck or ship. Cement is the third largest export of Cyprus, and Vassiliko Cement has a huge market in Israel that they supply. After the presentation, we we got to put on a company vest and hard hat and visit the port and central command center on the campus. We all got pictures in our blue collar outfits on the port, which was very funny. The command center had a few workers that were responsible for keeping eyes and control over the entire campus. There was more camera feeds in that room than I could count. This visit was very interesting and a change of pace from the shipping and medicine companies.
After this we enjoyed what was probably my favorite meal of the trip, a full fresh mezze. I am a huge seafood fan, so being presented with plate after plate of fish, shrimp, crab, and calamari was an amazing experience (although my stomach may not have agreed). There was also a cool little seafront that we walked on for a half hour or so after we ate. After our bit of free time, we got back on the bus to head over to MSC.
The presenter of our MSC visit, who we later learned was the wife of the Limassol location’s CEO, was full of energy and made the presentation fun for all. MSC prides themselves on their strides in becoming the most carbon and cost efficient commercial transport company. They also serve an expansive market, as they ship to 155 countries worldwide with their 503 cargo vessels. This includes the MSC Irina, which is the largest cargo vessel in the world. We were given an in-depth explanation of the MSC database, which tracks the real time location, speed, fuel levels, and more of each and every one of their ships. They even had the locations of other company’s ships available to be tracked through the system, which was really interesting to learn. Finally, after the presentation, we were approached with a MSC Cake! This was very unexpected, and we had a good time eating and socializing with employees (including the CEO himself) in the office lobby. MSC was definitely the most inviting visit we have done, and was a good way to end the day. Tomorrow is our last full day :(, but should be a lot of fun as we have a lot of things planned.