August 5, 2022 - The Italian navy ship San Giusto arrived this Thursday in Split, more precisely to the Lora Naval Base, where it plans to remain until August the 8th. 

The visit is part of the second stage of the Educational campaign for the cadets of the Petty Officer Academy Taranto. The ship was visited yesterday by the mayor of Split Ivica Puljak, adviser to the prefect of Split-Dalmatia Ana Buličić Krespi, consul general of the Republic of Italy in Rijeka Davide Bradanini, honorary consul of Italy in Split Maja Medić, honorary consul of Italy in Dubrovnik Frano Bongi and military attaché of Italy in Vienna with the delegate for Croatia, Colonel Gerardo Contristano. The guests were welcomed by the ship's commander, Antonio Giuseppe Palombella.

The San Giusto ship is the first and only ship of the San Giusto class, a modernized version of the San Giorgio class, and combines amphibious capabilities with the peculiarities of a training ship. Its usual duty station is the Brindisi Naval Base and it is under the direct purview of the 3rd Naval Division. According to NATO standard names, it is defined as an LPD (Landing Platform Dock). That means it's an amphibious transport unit equipped with a floating dock, designed for the landing of amphibious landing troops in projection operations from the sea.

This ship's high transport capacities make the unit very versatile for humanitarian aid, civil protection, and interventions in the event of natural disasters, in which it has participated several times. The large spaces and accommodation capacities also allow it to be used as a training ship for students of the Naval Academy or Cadet Schools of the Italian Navy. That's why it has been designated for the 2022 Education Campaign for the benefit of the Petty Officer Academy Taranto.

There are 151 students currently sailing on it, 35 female and 116 male, who are sailing the Mediterranean and learning about the naval units and skills helpful in performing various tasks. The campaign started on July 25th from the Taranto Naval Base and will last for about 2 months, with an expected return to Taranto on September 24th. After Split, the ship will set sail for future destinations in the central and eastern Mediterranean.

Unfortunately,  Captain Alberto Bertorelli was not seen in Split this time.

July 30, 2022 - It is the peak tourist weekend in Croatia, and the number of people trying to get to their destinations is causing problems and delays in many places.

Split is filled with tourists, in this peak tourist weekend, and there are more coming through these days. It is expected that over 50,000 people will land in over 200 airplanes at the Split airport today. Croatian Radiotelevision also reports that the ferry port is expecting to see over 70,000 passengers and around 15,000 vehichles arriving or departing today.

Jelena Ivulić from Jadrolinija explains to HRT that the passengers have been arriving in great numbers since the early morning. They had to establish an out-of-schedule line towards Supetar yesterday afternoon, and there was another one this morning already. They are expecting more of those in the afternoon. The same goes for the return from Supetar to Split.

She says that it's really busy, and that the passengers need to be patient: everyone will eventually get to their destinations! They did so last weekend as well, and it was also remarkably busy. There are many passengers traveling to Ancona as well.

And Split is not the only place in Croatia that's full of people on this Saturday: HAK reports that many Croatian highways are also extremely busy, especially the directions towards the seaside. The A1 highway (Zagreb - Split - Ploče) has a lot of traffic in both directions and a 7-km queue at the entrance of the Sveti Rok tunnel in the direction of Split.

On the Eastern side of Croatia, there is a 12 km queue at the Bajakovo border crossing with Serbia, for the passengers crossing eastbound.

It remains remarkable that the one spot in Croatia where we've gotten used to kilometres-long queues, the border crossings with Bosnia and Herzegovina near Neum, are nice and almost empty today.

Screenshot from a HAK webcam

February 11, 2022 - After receiving approval from the Croatian government under the maritime code, the American aircraft carrier 'USS Harry S. Truman' returned to the port of Split after just over 6 years as part of a routine visit for logistical replenishment and for the crew to rest.

After it was escorted from Rogoznica, the American aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) sailed in front of the port of Split. Before it, as reported by Slobodna Dalmacija, the Norwegian frigate HNoMS "Fridtjof Nansen" (F310) sailed.

The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, already in Split at the beginning of December 2015, is anchored in the Brač Channel, where it will remain until February 15.

The vessel is over 330 meters long, 74 meters high, and 40 meters wide, and can develop a speed of 30 knots. It is powered by two nuclear reactors and four steam turbines and is armed with two Mk 57 Mod3 Sea Sparrow anti-aircraft and anti-missile weapon systems, two RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile, and three Phalanx CIWS for close combat.

The government allowed the USS Harry S. Truman nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to sail into Croatian waters and stay in Split port from 11 to 15 February, with Defence Minister Mario Banožić underlining the good cooperation with the United States allies and partners. Without recharging it can sail three million miles, almost 25 years. 

"It's a routine visit for logistical replenishment and for the crew to rest," he said at a cabinet meeting on Thursday.

''It will be an opportunity for talks with our American allies, partners, for strong support which will be reaffirmed also in that way'', he said.

The cooperation with the US Navy is intensive, Banožić said, recalling that its ships are overhauled in Croatia's Viktor Lenac shipyard.

The US Embassy sent a note to the Croatian Foreign Ministry requesting permission for the USS Harry S. Truman to enter Croatian waters. The government granted it under the Maritime Code.

According to the US Naval Institute, the American aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman was scheduled to cross the Suez Canal last year, but due to rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine, it was ordered to remain in the Mediterranean Sea.

For more, check out our politics section.

July 31, 2021 - The Split ports expect 101 thousand passengers will arrive in the city and the surrounding islands this weekend from numerous destinations around the world, Croatia as well.

The Split Airport will thus conclude July with a share of 48 percent of passengers compared to July 2019, and the city airport, where they do not hide their satisfaction with a share of 75 percent compared to July 2019, a record month for the airport, reports Index.hr.

The Split Airport expects 190 planes to land and takes off over the weekend, of which 150 are on a regular route, while the remaining 40 private planes will carry 36,000 passengers through the port.

"July should be completed with 350 thousand passengers, and for comparison last year in the same period there were about 170 thousand, while July 2019 ended with 720 thousand", said to Hina the head of the Passenger Reception and Dispatch Service of Split Airport Mate Melvan.

He noted that the last weekend in July and the first in August have been the most numerous in terms of tourism for years. "We are still monitoring the situation with the crown, and for now the season is going great," Melvan added.

''The weekend is also a record in the ferry port, where more than 65 thousand passengers and over 15 thousand vehicles are expected'', said the coordinator of Jadrolinija, Jelena Ivulić.

According to the data she presented by Saturday at 1 pm, two extraordinary lines to Supetar have been introduced, while the ferries to other islands are full. Passengers in vehicles in a column in Zvonimirova Street continued to wait for more than two hours to the ferry port.

"We are now at 75 percent of the numbers we achieved in July 2019. We are more than satisfied and we believe that the season will not end abruptly", said Ivulić.

She mentioned that the traffic pressure is from all sides, from the entrance to Split, but also at the entrance to the ferry port. "We recommend everyone who needs to go to the port to start as soon as possible and arm themselves with patience, but it is worth enduring for our islands", she said.

For everything you need to know about Split, from what to do, what to see, where to eat, where to stay, tours, and much more, check out the Total Croatia 2021 guide.

For more on travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

June 17, 2021 - The first cruiser in Split after 9 months will sail into the Split Port on Friday, bringing 1,200 guests with it. 

Souvenir shops, get ready! On Friday, after a very long time, the first big cruiser arrives in Split, bringing about 1,200 passengers, who should stay there for ten hours, reports Slobodna Dalmacija.

As Vice Mihanović, director of the Split Port, revealed, the luxury cruise ship MSC Splendida should arrive at the external berth of the Split City Port on June 18 at 7 am, and the departure was announced the same day at 5 pm.

"Splendida comes from Corfu, and passengers will leave the cruise to the city in an organized manner, by bus and walking tours. We hope for a good epidemiological situation so that as many ships with tourists as possible enter Split in the coming months," says Vice Mihanović.

Admittedly, a cruiser also arrived in Split before Splendida on Monday, but it is a far smaller ship - the Belle de l’adriatique. The last major cruise ship to Split was seen last September, followed by months of drought that coincided with a bad epidemiological picture in Croatia and around the world.

"Currently, in the announcements for this year, we have the arrival of 155 cruisers in Split, but all this is very uncertain and depends on the pandemic. Failures are common. All this is far from the record 2016 when 286 cruisers came to Split, but the situation is getting a little better, and it will largely depend on ourselves," says the director of the Split Port Authority.

MSC Splendida is a huge ship, 38 meters wide and 333 meters long, can accommodate over three thousand passengers and has over a thousand crew members. There are 1,637 cabins on the cruiser, including 43 for disabled guests or tourists with reduced mobility. It has as many as 18 decks, including 14 for guests.

Splendida offers a wide selection of restaurants, bars, and lounges, four swimming pools, a well-equipped gym, and a luxury spa, award-winning family activities, and facilities, as well as a luxurious MSC Yacht Club with 71 spacious suites and all-day butler service.

As reported by MSC Cruises, the Splendida is their fifth ship to begin regular sailing this summer. MSC Grandios and MSC Seaside sail the western Mediterranean. The MSC Orchestra recently embarked on cruises in the eastern Mediterranean. The flagship of the MSC Virtuos fleet cruises the United Kingdom with reservations open to British guests only.

"They are fully supported by the leading health and safety protocol, under the protection of which tens of thousands of guests, as well as crew members, have been safely sailing onboard the MSC Grandios since its first presentation in August 2020, and protects local communities that visit. MSC Magnifica will continue sailing the eastern Mediterranean on June 20 starting from Italy - they will regularly sail to Split where they will achieve 20 ticks this year," said MSC.

Follow the latest travel updates and COVID-19 news from Croatia HERE.

For more on travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

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Director of the Port Authority of Split, Vice Mihanović, says that they are looking to apply for EU Funds for the project of Port Stinice and work on a conceptual solution for the expansion of Obala kneza Domagoja.

Do you feel the crowds yet?