July 24, 2022 - A very unusual maritime accident happened early Sunday morning in Split, when a tourist boat called Morska Vila hit the waterfront and sank.

Luckily, all of the passengers aboard the boat were able to leave the boat without injuries after it hit the waterfront at the gas station in Split. The 21-meter vessel came to Split from the direction of Čiovo

The Croatian media report today that the 44-year-old captain of the Morska Vila was apprehended right after the accident, as he was clearly under the influence of alcohol. The police have reported that he had over 0.1 per cent blood alcohol level, while the rest of the crew have tested negative for any alcohol. The Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure reported that they're undertaking the necessary actions to secure the crash site and ensure that the sea's pollution around the vessel is minimal. The Split firefighters set up a barrier around the boat, and the divers were sent to investigate the bottom of the tourist boat to see the extent of the damage. The Ministry is also investigating the total number of people on the boat at the time of the accident. The media reports vary, as some say there were 41 people, while others mention over 50. There are reasons to believe that there were more people (passengers + the crew) on the vessel than is allowed, which is just another potential transgression by the captain. 

The accident saw no casualties and will not lead to marine pollution

The recent verdict of the Municipal Court in Šibenik in favour of Tomislav Horvatinčić, who stood accused of causing a maritime accident in 2011 that killed two people, led to a furious backlash in the Croatian public. Apart from setting a dangerous precedent to all future cases of similar nature where the defendants might now resort to a 'syncope' defence, the verdict caused a stir in relation to previous cases of such accidents.

The terrible incident occurred when the inflatable boat carrying nine people was on its way back from the island of Sipan to Brsecine on the mainland.

The inflatable boat carrying nine passengers collided with the Port Authority’s ship in Koločep's bay near Dubrovnik on Tuesday night at 21:20.

The passengers were employees of the Bowa restaurant on Šipan island, among them, the restaurant owner Alen Perišić who operated the ill-fated vessel.

The maritime accident occurred at a time when the official Port Authority's ship was engaged in an emergency medical transport operation to the island of Mljet.

Two people with minor injuries have been rescued from the sea, while two people were tragically found dead. An intense search for the other five missing passengers continues with the help of the medical team, the official police ship and the ferry boat Hanibal Lucić.

The passengers were heading back from Šipan island to the mainland, more precisely to Brsečine village just north of Dubrovnik.

According to the coastguard captain, the inflatable boat was not equipped with navigation lights.