Private pleasure boats are charging up to 800 euros (1,200 dollars) to ferry people into Lebanon from Cyprus, but officials say that shipping law forbids unlicensed craft being used for commercial purposes for safety reasons.
"A directive has been given to marine police that private boats can't take passengers to Lebanon," Cyprus merchant shipping department senior inspector Yiannis Karitzis told state television.
"Pleasure boats for private use are exploiting the situation and charging Lebanese and other nationals... It's not just a question of exploitation... We monitor issues of safety," he added.
For the past week, Lebanon has been rocked by sectarian fighting in which at least 65 people have died after a government move against Hezbollah prompted the Shiite militant group to block access to Beirut airport, halting nearly all flights.
Karitzis said those bringing people to Cyprus from Lebanon was not an issue because it came under the jurisdiction of the Lebanese authorities.
More than 300 people, including the Saudi ambassador in Beirut, have fled Lebanon's violence for the safety of the Mediterranean holiday island, which is part of the European Union and just 130 miles (210 kilometres) away.
Since Saturday, 34 private yachts or speed boats have docked at Larnaca marina on the island's south coast while more people are expected if the conflict worsens.
In 2006, a devastating 34-day summer war between Israel and Hezbollah prompted Western governments to undertake a mass evacuation of tens of thousands of nationals through Cyprus but so far there has been no repeat.
The fighting between supporters of the Western-backed government and the Iranian- and Syrian-backed opposition is nonetheless Lebanon's worst sectarian violence since the 1975-90 civil war.
Some of the boats were dropping people off before going back for more, while other people were docking at the marina for a short period in their luxury yachts.
On Monday, Saudi ambassador to Lebanon Abdul Aziz al-Khoja and his family arrived at marina and were escorted directly to the nearby Larnaca international airport.
Cyprus says it is closely monitoring the unrest in Lebanon and has drawn up contingency plans in the event that a new mass evacuation is required.
Civil defense and other officials met on Wednesday to review the island's preparations to deal with a new influx of evacuees. In 2006, more than 55,000 flooded the island.
Photo: A Lebanese private yacht is seen from Larnaca marina after arriving from Lebanon, Monday, May 12, 2008. Private yacht owners making illegal earnings out of people desperate to return to strife-stricken Lebanon in the absence of normal flights. What a shame !!! Photo courtesy AP
Tags: Cyprus, Economy, Lebanon, source: Middle East Online, Syria, War, Ya Libnan
