Limassol, Cyprus. Deputy Shipping Minister Marina Hadjimanolis said 11 Cyprus-flagged ships in the Gulf are safe as the government monitors a regional crisis and its potential impact on shipping, trade, energy and tourism. Separately, the Cyprus Property Developers Association said affordable housing has become a major social challenge affecting Cyprus and Europe.
Government monitoring shipping risks
Speaking at a press conference for the Deputy Ministry of Shipping’s 2025 annual report in Limassol, Hadjimanolis said the closure of the straits had become a matter of major concern for global shipping, particularly because of the risks facing seafarers stranded in the area.
She said the passage is one of the world’s most critical maritime energy corridors and is also important for agricultural trade, adding that the government and the deputy ministry had been closely monitoring developments from the outset.
“At the moment, as you know, the straits are essentially closed,” she said, adding that ship movements were very limited.
Hadjimanolis said there are an estimated 1,000 ships and 20,000 seafarers in the wider area, while Cyprus has issued recommendations since the first day of the crisis for vessels operating both there and in other vulnerable zones, including the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Property developers highlight housing affordability
Affordable housing has become “one of the greatest social challenges of our time”, Mersina Isidorou, general manager of the Cyprus Property Developers Association, said, describing it as “a pan-European crisis that affects European countries horizontally”.
From “large metropolises to smaller member states”, she said, the rising cost of housing is “testing the resilience of households, intensifying social inequalities and limiting the ability of young people to plan their future with security and perspective”.
Cyprus, she added, “is no exception to this European reality”.
The housing problem, according to Isidorou, “has been affecting a large part of society for years, especially young people and young families, creating an environment of insecurity and uncertainty”.
For the association, she said, addressing the issue is “a particularly important priority”. Through “documented proposals, cooperation with the state and the competent bodies”, the association is seeking “to formulate realistic and sustainable solutions that respond to the real needs of society”.
What measures should authorities prioritise to address both maritime risks and housing affordability concerns?
