Charting a New Course: Cyprus and India Step Up Shipping and Air Links

Walk into almost any ship management office in Limassol and there's a good chance you'll hear an Indian accent: from fleet managers and marine engineers to crewing staff and the seafarers they look after. So when Cyprus and India sit down to talk shipping, our community has every reason to pay attention. This week brought two developments worth knowing about.

A first for shipping cooperation

On 29 September, Limassol hosted the first-ever meeting of the Cyprus–India Joint Maritime Committee. The committee was set up under a merchant shipping agreement the two countries signed back in 2017, and this was the first time it actually met.

The talks were co-chaired by Theodoulos Mesimeris, Acting Permanent Secretary of Cyprus's Shipping Deputy Ministry, and Venkatesapathy S., Joint Secretary for International Cooperation at India's Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. The key topics:

• Maritime education and training: a priority for both sides, and an area where India's large pool of trained seafarers and Cyprus's role as a shipping centre fit naturally together.
• Investment: finding ways to attract more investment into both countries' shipping sectors.
• Working together internationally: closer cooperation at the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

Next stop: Mumbai in November

Cyprus's Deputy Minister of Shipping is expected to visit India with a Cypriot maritime business delegation, and a Maritime Business Forum is planned in Mumbai in November. India will bring in its private sector and business chambers to help organise it, with the focus on direct company-to-company links and new investment opportunities.

Air links back on the agenda

Separately, India's High Commissioner Manish met Cyprus's Transport Minister Evie Tsolaki to discuss air connectivity, infrastructure and ports. The Minister is due to travel to India in the first week of October for bilateral meetings and to take part in Sagarmanthan: The Great Oceans Dialogue 2026, a maritime conference co-hosted by India's Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and the Observer Research Foundation.

Update (29 October 2026): Some 25 of Cyprus's leading shipping, ship-management and maritime-tech firms are set to head to India in November looking for partners. That news came from Cyprus's Shipping Deputy Minister, Marina Hadjimanolis, when she met India's Shipping Minister, Sarbananda Sonowal, in Busan, South Korea, in talks reported on 28 October. Seafarer welfare was also on the table, and Cyprus restated its backing for India's bid to have eligible Indian ship-recycling yards recognised by the EU; this summer the European Commission put two yards at Alang in Gujarat forward for its approved list. (Sources: IANS, Free Press Journal, EUWID)

Update (5 October 2026): Cyprus's Shipping Deputy Minister, Marina Hadjimanolis, is expected to travel to India with the Cypriot maritime business delegation, and the Indian delegation's talks with Cyprus-based shipping and ship-management companies also looked at creating more openings for Indian seafarers. (Sources: Cyprus Mail, Greek City Times, 5 October 2026)

Update (4 October 2026): More is now known about the Indian delegation's four-day visit, which ran from 28 September to 1 October. Among the visitors was Deependra Singh Bisen, Deputy Director General at India's Directorate General of Maritime Administration, the agency that regulates Indian shipping and seafarers. Besides the committee meeting itself, the team held talks with the Cyprus Shipping Chamber, the Cyprus Ports Authority, the Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute and some of the island's leading shipping firms, and toured the Port of Limassol. On the agenda: maritime education and training, investment in both countries' shipping sectors, sharing policies and best practice, and working together at the International Maritime Organization. (Source: ANI, 4 October 2026)

Update (2 October 2026): Minister Tsolaki is due in New Delhi for Sagarmanthan: The Great Oceans Dialogue, running 7–9 October, and will use the trip for one-to-one talks with Indian officials. Greece will be there too, represented by Deputy Maritime Minister Stefanos Gkikas. (Sources: ORF, IANS)

What it means for Indians in Cyprus

• Shipping professionals: stronger ties could mean more Indian-linked business through Cyprus, more partnerships between companies, and new roles for people who understand both markets.
• Seafarers and students: cooperation on maritime education and training could open doors to courses, certification and career paths across both countries.
• Entrepreneurs: the Mumbai forum is a chance for Cyprus-based Indian business owners to connect with partners back home.
• Everyone who flies home: air connectivity talks are a welcome sign for families who currently rely on connecting flights between Cyprus and India.

These are early steps, but they show the India–Cyprus partnership moving from big announcements to practical, everyday links. We'll keep you posted as the Mumbai forum and the ministerial visits take shape.

Read also: From Mumbai to New Delhi: What the Cyprus President's India Visit Means for Us

Sources: CyprusMail1, CyprusMail2