Importers are warning of mounting costs as a software outage at Cyprus’ main commercial gateway—Limassol Port—continued into its fifth day on 14 July. A failure in the Customs Department’s payment-processing module has prevented importers from settling duties and VAT electronically, freezing cargo clearance since 10 July. Spokesperson George Constantinou told local media that both the payments platform and the automated import-declaration system were affected, forcing officers to halt the release of goods. Refrigerated and high-value cargoes are being stored at the import yard under special supervision, but demurrage charges are piling up. Customs is exploring an interim solution that would allow bank transfers to a dedicated treasury account, with manual verification by officers—a process likely to slow clearances even after it is introduced. Logistics firms report that more than 3,000 TEUs are now backlogged, with knock-on effects for just-in-time supply chains in the pharmaceutical and fresh-produce sectors. The incident has reignited calls for a full disaster-recovery environment for Cyprus’ Single Customs Window, a project that has faced repeated procurement delays. Business associations say the outage underscores the importance of digital resilience in border-management systems as Cyprus seeks to join Schengen and expand transit trade through the Eastern Mediterranean. Companies with time-critical shipments should factor in at least four extra days of lead time and consider rerouting low-volume consignments through Larnaca air-cargo facilities until normal operations resume.
Source: Knews (Kathimerini Cyprus)
