Cedar Waves Ferry Links Jounieh Port to Cyprus’ Larnaca After One-Year Delay

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, with the ferry branded Cedar Waves and operated by the Abou Merhi Group.

“Cedar Waves has now opened its online platform for bookings, allowing customers to reserve their stays directly through the company’s website”

Euronews

L’Orient Today says the initiative was first announced in April 2025 by Lebanese manufacturing group INDEVCO, headed by MP Neemat Frem, and that the delay was “mainly related to port operations and logistical coordination between the authorities involved.”

Euronews

The same report says the first sailing is scheduled for June 19, and that the ferry will connect Jounieh to Larnaca in around four hours.

Euronews adds that Cedar Waves has opened its online platform for bookings and that the service is expected to launch on 9 June 2026, with the core route taking around 3 hours and 59 minutes.

Euronews also states departures from Lebanon to Cyprus will run every Wednesday and Sunday at 9 am, as well as every Friday at 10 am, arriving in Larnaca shortly before 1 pm (Beirut time).

Beyond the Jounieh-Larnaca line, L’Orient Today says the operator plans additional routes between Mersin in Turkey and Latakia in Syria, with schedules spread across the week.

L’Orient Today gives travel times of around five and a half hours for the Jounieh-Mersin route and around three hours for both the Latakia-Mersin and Latakia-Jounieh crossings.

Ici Beyrouth

For pricing, L’Orient Today says a round-trip ticket between Jounieh and Larnaca is expected to average $220 in June as part of a promotional launch offer, rising to around $230 from July to September.

Euronews frames the launch as Lebanon’s first scheduled ferry connection in decades and lists indicative one-way fares to Larnaca of around €88 for Standard, around €144 for Plus, and around €163 for Lounge.

In parallel, Ici Beyrouth reports that a source close to the port of Jounieh says there is currently no regular ferry service between Jounieh and Cyprus, while a maritime agent specialized in renting luxury yachts says he receives about ten calls per day since the start of the Hezbollah–Israel war.

L’Orient Today says passengers holding Lebanese passports will be required to present a valid EU Schengen or Cypriot visa to enter Cyprus, and that passengers will be allowed one checked bag and one carry-on.

“MARITIME TRAVEL After a one-year delay, Jounieh-Cyprus ferry project should launch in June The Cedar Waves, now set to be operated by Abou Merhi Group, is expected to reach Larnaca from Jounieh in around four hours, with additional routes planned to Turkey and Syria”

L'Orient Today

The same report says Jounieh is located about 24 kilometers north of Beirut, and it describes the ferry as expected to be the first regular passenger ferry link between Lebanon and Cyprus in around two decades.

Euronews adds that the Cedar Waves vessel will be the first to run regular international passenger services from Lebanon in decades and that the launch is expected to strengthen tourism and business ties between Cyprus and Lebanon ahead of the summer season.

Ici Beyrouth situates the project within wider travel disruption, saying Beirut's international airport remains open while hundreds of flights are canceled or postponed and that only Middle East Airlines (MEA) continues to operate regular links to and from Beirut.

Ici Beyrouth also says the lack of regular service has pushed demand for private crossings, with the crossing price ranging from 1,000 to 1,500 dollars per person and boats able to accommodate four to forty passengers.