As Morski writes on the 17th of December, 2019, the processing of the steel for New Construction (Novogradnja) 485 has begun today in Split's Brodosplit shipyard on the sheet metal cutting machine. This marks the beginning of the construction of a polar cruise ship contracted for the well known Dutch company Oceanwide Expeditions.

''The first ship is the pride of the shipyard, made during the restructuring and with new software tools. Namely, we're the first in the niche of polar cruisers, in the class ''LR PC6'' we came out with this boat, and it was made on time and in top quality and on budget, and this resulted in another order. This vessel's completion is scheduled for the 2021 Arctic season. We plan to hand it over even earlier. The earnings on this ship should be about 10 percent of its value,'' said Tomislav Debeljak, CEO of Brodosplit.

The ceremony was attended by Zvonimir Novak, Assistant Minister of Economy, and Ruđer Friganović, Director of Croatia's Jadranbrod, as well as numerous contracting representatives and construction partners.

Following the handover of ''Hondius'' back in May this year, a contract was signed at Brodosplit for the construction of another ship of the same dimensions, the so-called ''sister ship'' for the same contracting authority, which gave the Dutch company the best possible opportunity to showcase their satisfaction with the quality of the work done in Brodosplit and the completion of the construction of the contracted ships within their prescribed deadlines.

''When we decided to build a ship like this, no shipyard in the Netherlands or Germany could give me a guarantee that the ship would be completed within the time limit we wanted. Because of this, we contacted the management of the Brodosplit shipyard, which accepted our construction deadlines and guaranteed that the ship would be completed on time. And they did all that was agreed.

It isn't easy to build a ship like this, but with the cooperation of our team of experts and experts from the Split shipyard, the ship was built within the agreed deadline. That's why I decided that we'd build another ship in Split,'' stated Wijnand van Gessel, the owner of Oceanwide Expeditions back during the handover in May.

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Croatian shipbuilding continues to be largely ignored or at the very best underestimated and neglected by the Croatian state. Pula's ailing Uljanik shipyard and Rijeka's equally problematic 3 Maj shipyard haven't been the subject of happy headlines and good news for a long time now, leading all and sundry to believe the worst of Croatia's shipbuilding industry - which once flourished. Not everything is so bleak, though, at least not for busy Brodosplit.

As Novac/Jozo Vrdoljak/Privredni.hr writes on the 15th of December, 2019, a brand new delivery of a mega section for a passenger cruiser under construction in Monfalcone, Italy's largest Fincantier shipyard, has begun this morning at the famous Brodosplit shipyard in Dalmatia.

The huge transport from Brodosplit regards a large section of the bow of a vessel's hull which is twelve metres high, a massive forty meters wide and weighing an incredible 480 tons, and it is also properly equipped with elements for mooring and anchoring.

''Brodosplit's'' company, Transportna sredstva d.o.o., which has perfected itself for lifting and transporting extremely heavy loads, released a snapshot of the unusual transport that certainly isn't a daily sight in Brodosplit or anywhere in Croatia.

The section is narrow and high, with a centre of gravity of seven meters, so the highly demanding process of embarkation was done with two self-propelled modular transports which boast a large load capacity, each of which had 26 axles, which made one conveyor as long as 36 metres in total.

Watch the video of the unusual action published by Jutarnji list's YouTube channel at Brodosplit below:

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November 24, 2019 - Brodosplit is building a technologically advanced polar expedition ship, contracted by American company Quark Expeditions, which will be called ‘Ultramarine’ and will be able to accommodate 200 passengers. 

Splitski Dnevnik reports that the construction was contracted with the American company Quark Expeditions, part of the Travelopia Group, which brings together a diverse range of world-class companies specializing in adventure travel, according to a statement from Brodosplit.

The 128-meter-long polar expedition vessel, which will be 21.5 meters wide and weigh 13,500 gross tons, will sail in 2020, and will be able to accommodate up to 200 passengers in spacious cabins and public areas, the Split shipyard added.

“Ultramarine will be an unprecedented operating base for polar adventures. A new ship in the hands of the most experienced expedition team will allow guests to go deeper into the polar regions than ever before, maintaining the same respect for nature, which has always been Quark Expeditions' guiding principle. In addition, it will allow guests to spend their days experiencing the off-ship adventures that made Quark Expeditions so popular. And once they return to the ship after a day spent on polar exploration, they will be able to rest and relax in a modern, contemporary, premium quality space,” the statement added.

The Ultramarine will be the new pride of Croatian shipbuilding and a definite leap forward for Brodosplit into the market of passenger ships up to 200 meters in length, where Croatian shipyards can compete as an indispensable European shipyard that builds very complex ships on which it generates profit and achieves high competitiveness, the Split shipyard conduced. 

You can see a new promotional video of the Ultramarine polar expedition ship below. 

Over the last seventy years, Brodosplit has delivered more than 450 ships with a total carrying capacity of over 10 million tonnes. Eighty percent of Brodosplit’s production goes to foreign customers. Many of these ships have received accolades from reputable international institutions, and in the last twenty years alone, ten boats from Split have been on the list of the best projects in their categories. The authority with which Brodosplit operates in international shipbuilding circles today and the trust that numerous clients give to its experts are the results of many years of successful work and a high-quality and wide product range.

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There has been a level of suspicion surrounding a certain project involving the building of a polar cruise ship, and Brodosplit is seeking to quash anyone's potential doubts about the vessel or Brodosplit's role.

As Novac/Jozo Vrdoljak/Privredni writes on the 26th of October, 2019, the Brodosplit shipyard has invited journalists to visit the Split shipyard so that they can rise above the rumours being generated and come and see the construction (Novogradnje/New Construction 487) for themselves, which is currently underway.

What Brodosplit is responsible for the construction of is a polar cruise ship, the same one that politician Ivan Vilibor Sinčić referred to as fictitious in an apparent blow to the shipyard.

''Therefore, I invite you all with an open invitation to visit us over the next few days and to come and record the ship while it's under construction. It is a technologically advanced polar expedition ship, contracted with Quark Expeditions from Seattle, USA, as part of the Travelopia Group, which brings together a diverse range of worldwide adventure travel companies,'' read the statement from Brodosplit.

The 128-metre-long, 21.5-metre-wide and 13,500-gross tonnage vessel will set sail in 2020 and will accommodate up to 200 passengers in spacious cabins and public spaces. It will boast an incredible array of adventure options, allowing guests to make the most of spontaneous adventure options from the ship while enjoying its ultimate level of comfort.

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September 27, 2019 - Watch the largest sailboat in the world take a test run around Split. 

"Croatian shipyard Brodosplit created the most sophisticated sailboat and the most complex passenger ship ever built. The Flying Clipper is not only the largest, but arguably one of the most beautiful in the world. And, with its large sails and masts, probably the fastest sailing vessel in the world, which will be registered in the Guinness Book of World Records," said Tomislav Debeljak, CEO of Brodosplit and DIV Group.

Slobodna Dalmacija writes that the Flying Clipper was designed according to the 1911 France II sailboat design. It is luxuriously decorated with touches reminiscent of old sailing ships. It is 162 meters long and 18.5 meters wide, with a load of 2000 tons. It has five steel masts with 36 sails in aluminum crosses with a total area of 6,347 square meters. The largest mast is 63 meters high and weighs 24 tons, and the largest cross is 31 meters long. It has five decks, a beauty center, a sauna, a jacuzzi, a spa and fitness center, a library area and a salon. The Flying Clipper can accommodate up to 450 people. It has 224 cabins, of which 150 are luxury cabins for 300 passengers and 74 cabins for 150 crew members.

It is the first sailboat with built-in "Safe return to port" security standards and meets all the requirements for the US Coast Guard and US Public Health Service. The Flying Clipper is the only sailboat in the world that has received the highest possible class for noise and vibration.

This majestic sailboat set off on a test ride and sailed the Split sea for the first time with all the sails raised. The scenes are awe-inspiring.

Recall, a 70 million euro contract between Brodosplit and Star Clippers owner Mikhail Krafft has recently been terminated because both sides claimed that it had been violated: Krafft had exceeded the deadlines and the Split shipyard failed to meet the conditions for completion. The dispute is still moving towards arbitration, but, according to unofficial information, negotiations over a possible compromise are also in parallel.

Thus, during that time, the ship is officially owned by the Split shipyard and will sail under the flag under which it was built - Malta.

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The demographic crisis in Croatia is continuing to bite, and while chronic staff shortages remain the main plague of Croatian employers, many companies across the country are now turning to the ''import'' of third country nationals, such as Indians.

We have written quite extensively on the Croatian demographic crisis, the staff shortages and the repeated increase in the quota for foreign (non EU) labour by the Croatian Government. While this has mitigated problems to a degree this year, it isn't clear what the strategy will need to be next year. After all, it isn't just tourism workers that Croatia is lacking during the season, it is qualified labour from all sectors who are making their way abroad.

The Croatian love of red tape and paperwork is also throwing a spanner in the works despite the government's quota increase for foreign workers, as many Croatian employers who give jobs to those from outside the EU, even from as close by as neighbouring Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, are waiting for an average of two months for their residence and work permits to be approved, and by that time - they're no longer required. Without the necessary papers given the green light by MUP, these third country nationals cannot be paid a wage.

You can read more on this secondary plight on Croatia's employers here.

As previously mentioned, it isn't just tourism workers who are desperately needed in Croatia, but skilled staff from all fields. Tomislav Debeljak of the shipbuilding giant Brodosplit, has found a way to make ends meet as far as staffing is concerned.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 8th of August, 2019, more than 2000 workers are currently employed at Brodosplit. The first group of workers from India will start working in Brodosplit in early September, Slobodna Dalmacija has learned. It is estimated that there will be about two hundred Indian workers at Brodosplit by the end of this year.

According to the currently available information, Brodosplit's Indian employees will have a monthly salary of around 950 euros.

Otherwise, workers in Brodosplit can earn up to 1,500 euros net per month, while subcontractors, which is the status the company's Indian workers will have, are paid around 12 to 16 euros per hour.

As stated, Brodosplit currently employs more than 2000 workers, and many of them are workers from all over the world working in cooperative companies, depending on the current needs for certain professions, so that the contracted jobs will be completed as well as possible. The addition of 200 Indian workers will surely make things easier on the company.

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August 5, 2019 - Quark Expeditions®, the leader in polar adventures, held the keel-laying ceremony for its pioneering new ship Ultramarine on August 2 at Brodosplit, officially kicking off the next stage in the ship’s construction: the build of its hull and superstructure.

Held at the largest shipyard in Croatia, the event was attended by a mix of senior staff from Brodosplit, its parent company DIV Group, Quark Expeditions, its parent company Travelopia, and private equity investors KKR. Speeches were given by Joerg Metzner, Director at KKR, Andy Duncan, CEO at Travelopia, Malcolm Ellis, Senior VP Operations at Quark Expeditions and as well as representatives from both DIV Group and Brodosplit.

“We thank the team at Brodosplit for hosting this ceremony,” says Malcolm Ellis, Senior VP Operations at Quark Expeditions. “A lot of hard work from a lot of talented people has been required to get us to this point. It’s exciting to see our collective vision for this ship come to life, and to have the opportunity to thank everyone involved for their tremendous dedication and effort.”

The keel-laying event, which also marks formal recognition of the 128m, 199-passenger vessel, included a Croatian folk music performance, as well as the centuries-old coin ceremony, in which a specially chosen coin is welded into the ship’s hull to ensure good fortune during the build and subsequent voyages.

“The coin we chose is a beautiful silver coin featuring two Emperor penguins,” says Ellis. “We chose this coin because it perfectly embodies Quark’s mission: to push the boundaries of polar exploration. In our three decades of operation, Quark Expeditions has accomplished a long list of polar firsts, including being the first to take guests to Snow Hill Island to engage with Emperor penguins in their natural habitat. Ultramarine’s mix of design ingenuity and technological innovation will allow us to continue adding to that list of firsts by taking guests further into the polar regions than ever before.”

Ultramarine will join Quark Expeditions’ fleet in late 2020 for the Antarctic 2020.21 season.

“Ultramarine is purpose-built for the polar regions,” adds Ellis. “With this ship, in the hands of the industry’s most knowledgeable, experienced and dedicated team, we will continue to define what is possible in polar exploration while delivering transformational experiences to our guests.”

All photos by Quark Expeditions

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ZAGREB, August 2, 2019 - A Coin Ceremony was held at the Brodosplit shipyard in Split on Friday with a coin being laid in the keel of a passenger ship for polar expeditions to be built at the dock for the US company Quark Expeditions.

"For the client the coin symbolically reflects a personal approach to polar expeditions," Brodosplit said, adding that this the first time a ceremony of this kind was held at the shipyard.

The ship which will be named Ultramarine. It will be 128 metres long, 21.5 metres wide and will weigh 13,500 gross tonnes. It will sail out in 2020 and will be able to carry 200 passengers.

Brodosplit underscored that this is a new business step for the dock onto the market for passenger ships up to 200 metres in length.

Quark Expeditions was founded in 1991 and is part of the UK-based TUI Travel PLC Group of Companies. In 2016, it became part of Travelopia, a division comprising some brands from the former TUI Specialist Group. It specialises in expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic aboard purpose-built expedition vessels.

Brodosplit CEO Tomislav Debeljak told reporters that the client has expressed interest for the Split-based dock to construct more such ships and that the price of these cruise ships range from 100 million to 300 million euro.

"We don't build tankers; we have been saying that from day one. Instead we have opted for building cruise ships, primarily for polar expeditions, and we are the strongest in that in the world," Debeljak said.

He added that the "old structure" wanted to force Brodosplit to build tankers. "That is the structure that siphoned HRK 40 billion from Croatian citizens. We said, No, we are building 'positive ships.' That is harder but more positive for Croatia, for workers and for all of us," said Debeljak.

More news about Croatian shipbuilding industry can be found in the Business section.

Brodosplit presented the Flying Clipper - a unique sailboat designed according to the 1911 model - which is also the largest sailboat in the world. 

Meet the Flying Clipper, the largest sailboat in the world which will enter the Guinness Book of World Records. It is the first sailboat with built-in "Safe return to port" security standards and meets all the requirements for the US Coast Guard and US Public Health Service. The Flying Clipper is the only sailboat in the world that has received the highest possible class for noise and vibration, reports Dnevnik.hr and Splitski Dnevnik on July 15, 2019. 

The boat is 162 meters long and 18.5 meters wide, with a load of 2000 tons, has five masts and boasts a total of 6,347 square meters. On five decks, the Flying Clipper can accommodate up to 450 people. It has 224 cabins, of which 150 are luxury cabins for 300 passengers and 74 cabins for 150 crew members.

On Monday, the Flying Clipper embarked on its first tour to Hvar thanks to the organizers of the Ultra Europe Festival, who even have plans to continue cooperating with Brodosplit.

"Ultra is an international story, a manifestation that has developed in Split for the past seven years. Likewise, the Flying Clipper is an international story and we are proud to be able to work with them. Our engagement with the shipyard started four years ago when our workers helped them set up scaffolds. This cooperation is proof that Ultra is the driver of development for the City of Split and together with Brodosplit, we want to build the future here. In our new home, Park Mladeži is another connection with Brodosplit where we have beautiful views from the Resistance stage of the Brodosplit Shipyard,” said Joe Bašić, the organizer of the Ultra Europe festival.

Bašić concluded by saying that this was the best Ultra so far and that he is sure that next year will be even better.

Over the next four days, the Flying Clipper will sail the organizers of Ultra Europe, dozens of foreign journalists and party leaders to visit the festival events on the islands of Brač, Hvar and Vis.

Recall, a 70 million euro contract between Brodosplit and Star Clippers owner Mikhail Krafft has recently been terminated because both sides claimed that it had been violated: Krafft had exceeded the deadlines and the Split shipyard failed to meet the conditions for completion. The dispute is still moving towards arbitration, but, according to unofficial information, negotiations over a possible compromise are also in parallel.

Thus, during that time, the ship is officially owned by the Split shipyard and will sail under the flag under which it was built - Malta.

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

ZAGREB, June 14, 2019 - The Brodosplit dock on Friday confirmed for Hina that the completion and delivery of the sailing ship "the Flying Clipper", is running late compared to contracted deadlines adding however that the Split-based shipyard would not be held responsible as this was an approved delay and the ship will be completed.

A spokesman at the dock said that the Flying Clipper is the first sailing ship in the world to have 'Safe return to port' security standards installed and that it meets all the requirements of the US coast guard and its public health standards and it is the only sailing ship in the world that has been assigned with the highest category of noise and vibration.

"It has been extremely complicated to build that type of ship however Brodosplit will be completing it soon," Brodosplit said.

The Friday edition of the Novi List daily reported that the company Star Clippers from Monaco had in March terminated its contract with Brodosplit even though in May they said that they hoped an agreement with the Split dock would be reached to take over the ship.

Novi List further writes that it seems the situation finally "snapped" at the end of May, calling on sources from the ship's owner in Monaco and that the client has called for guarantees on advance payments of 15 million euro to be enforced and that they were allegedly paid this week.

According to unofficial information, the state has 12.7 million euro in active guarantees for the Flying Clipper while sources in the Finance Ministry earlier in the week denied the allegations by the Novi List about the activation of the guarantees.

More news about Croatian shipyards can be found in the Business section.