The largest ferry in the state-owned shipping company's fleet heads to Rijeka for repairs after an engine failure, while concessions on the most profitable Adriatic routes are nearing expiration.
The Dalmacija, the largest ferry in the state-owned company Jadrolinija's fleet, will be towed from Dubrovnik to the Viktor Lenac shipyard in Rijeka after suffering an engine failure. There, the damage will be assessed and repairs carried out, but it is clear that all Jadrolinija routes connecting Croatia to Italy will be suspended for an extended period.
Only a limited number of passengers have been transferred to a route operated by a private Italian company between Split and Ancona, while no tickets are available for travel from Split or Dubrovnik to Bari. Jadrolinija has apologized to passengers, but the company cannot say how long this will last or whether they are considering alternatives.
Minister of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure Oleg Butković told tportal that this is clearly a case of force majeure, but the state-owned shipping company has a clear task ahead.
"Fleet modernization is an absolute priority for Jadrolinija. The government, in cooperation with the World Bank, will secure a dedicated loan of around 200 million euros by the end of this year, and we are also preparing a recapitalization of the company," said Butković.
Jadrolinija has already announced that it should sign a contract in the coming weeks for the construction of a smaller vessel for the islands near Dubrovnik, informally called the 'new Postira'. Last year, a tender was launched for the design documentation for a new 100-meter ship intended for domestic coastal navigation, with the plan to use that documentation to launch mass production. By the end of the year, a tender for the construction of four ferries is expected.
It was previously announced that the state-owned shipping company will acquire at least ten new vessels in the coming period, seven of which will be ferries. This is an urgent and necessary measure because at the end of 2027, the ten-year permits for maintaining several of the busiest and most profitable routes in the Adriatic, such as those from Split to Supetar, Prizna to Žigljen, Valbiska to Merag, and similar, will expire.
Therefore, the Agency for Coastal Liner Maritime Transport will announce a new tender for concessions next year, which can be applied for by other companies from the European Union, not just Jadrolinija. Each company will also have to specify which vessels it will use for these routes. It is not impossible that a foreign company might try to take over part of the business from the Croatian shipping company that has always been practically the only player in the market: the Italians have already tried several times to 'enter' the line between Split and Brač.
The last new ferries for this carrier were built more than ten years ago, in Croatian shipyards. During the previous management, led by David Sopta, used vessels were purchased under conditions that many considered highly dubious or even questionable. The aforementioned Dalmacija is 30 years old, reportedly underwent a thorough overhaul in 2014 for as much as 30 million euros, and was purchased for 18 million euros.
In that case, an unusual tender was conducted that did not require the ship to have passenger cabins, even though they are needed for routes between Croatia and Italy, but it did require it to have a casino. Since the Dalmacija was the one with a casino, it was obvious that the tender was rigged to buy that particular ship, which was immediately sent for repairs.
A 27-year-old ferry purchased in Greece, later named after Oliver Dragojević, was also sent for expensive repairs, but it still experienced breakdowns several times. Also interesting is the case of the Sveti Duje ferry, which is less than ten years old and was purchased for the line between Split and Supetar. Since that ship did not meet standards, its capacity had to be reduced and part of the garage literally welded shut, so it now sails on the less busy route between Sućuraj and Drvenik on Hvar.
Sopta was dismissed, and at the beginning of last year, a new CEO, Robert Blažinović, took over, whose main task is fleet renewal.
Nediljko Bulić, president of the Independent Union of Seafarers of Passenger Ships of Croatia and workers' representative on Jadrolinija's Supervisory Board, told tportal that he still considers the Dalmacija ferry to be the best and most advanced in the fleet, and sees the engine failure as 'a string of unfortunate circumstances' that can happen to other shipping companies as well.
"Of course, this does not contribute to our company's business results or to Croatia's tourist season," says Bulić, adding that the fleet is intensively discussed at every Supervisory Board meeting.
Bulić emphasizes that there are many announcements and that, as a workers' representative, he hopes and insists that they be realized as soon as possible.
"There is talk of building four new ships for four profitable lines, and, for who knows how many times, the famous new ship for the Elaphites, but so far we do not know what stage these projects are in. We want to see a faster pace: time is passing, and announcements are still just announcements," said Bulić.
