Hello everyone, welcome to blog #7! Today’s agenda was a little different from the others; we only traveled to one location—the Limassol Port. However, within this location were four transport companies: Cyprus Port Authority (CPA), DP World, P&O, and Eurogate. These companies work together to manage Cyprus’s imports and exports. This type of work is part of the distribution process of the supply chain. With these companies, the transportation is by boat, which, while very cost-efficient, is one of the slowest methods. Each of the companies specializes in different types of products or services, which all benefit the Limassol port’s efficiency.
The first company we met with, the CPA, acted as the manager for all major ports. They have a board that works for the Cypriot government that oversees policy implementation. They also have control of the lighthouses used for the boat navigation. They also talked about the different terminals that correspond to each of the companies at the port. The company at the northernmost location at the Limassol port, DP World, primarily transports oil and gas. P&O focuses more on managing the docking process (or berth) of the incoming ships by using tugboats. They typically help maneuver 6 -10 ships per day, and are working 24 hours a day. The final company, Eurogate, works on the shipment of cargo. They can manage up to 12,000 TEUs (20 ft units), which is another way of saying shipping container. They account for 90% of the cargo that comes to Cyprus. The majority of the work that these companies do is for imported goods, which are to be distributed to warehouses for different companies (like the Vassos Eliades warehouse), and then will be distributed once again to the individual stores and markets for consumer purchase.