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.

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August 22, 2019 - Over 170,000 ships and boats sail the Adriatic Sea each year, with more than a third of that traffic in Split waters.

The crowds are monitored daily by the Split Port Authority with 15 outposts. The Port Authority is an umbrella organization in maritime affairs, so apart from traffic control, it issues licenses for the management of vessels, keeps records of ships, boats, and yachts, and conducts search and rescue at sea.

Dalmacija Danas spoke with Captain Željko Kuštera about the role of this institution and the challenges they face in their work each day.

“The Split area is made up of 7,200 square kilometers of sea and a coast of 1,100 kilometers in length. We are in charge of a huge area, from Makarska to Trogir plus the islands to Palagruža, where the largest traffic on the Adriatic takes place. Besides being in charge of surveillance and search and rescue, we also have an inspection department, a legal department dealing with the registration of ships, boats and yachts and a general affairs department. We issue about 10,000 certificates, two and a half thousand nautical booklets and about a thousand and a half sentences for boat managers. An incredible amount of people go through this building daily, it's a boardwalk, and everyone is in an emergency, everyone is in a hurry. That's the hardest part of the job. And when you look at it, it's only done by the 65 people we have employed at the Split Port Authority and all 15 outlets.”

How many days does the Port Authority have to go out on search and rescue interventions? Is the organization adequately equipped?

“Since the beginning of the year, we have had 89 search and rescue operations, and there could be a dozen of them every day. We have one boat and five smaller boats arranged, as we like to say, in the golden hour, so that we can react at any time in the Split waters. At any moment we know where our ships are and how many people and ships we have, we have really raised this organization to a higher level. In terms of equipment, I would give it a rating of 3 out of 5, but we offset it all by man. We have great cooperation with other services, and our people are competent and willing to work, so we raise that three to five.”

Does the Port Authority have enough human resources to cover all of Split?

“We're not complaining. It is said in Dalmatia "cover yourself with the chain you have". I wish I could get another 20 employees now, but with what we have, we cover everything. People are tired, we don't have fixed hours because you go out to sea when needed, we also have actions that can last for several days... but we are well organized, so it works. Given that tourism, including nautical tourism, is rapidly evolving, we can expect to grow in terms of human resources and new equipment.”

What causes maritime accidents most often?

“Most often they happen when we have storms, and lately there are frequent fires on boats, which is a concern. There are more and more electronics on ships, which can spark a fire. With this amount of traffic mistakes happen, it's hard to avoid, so the most important thing is good organization on our part so that we can help at any time.”

Who gives the Port Authority the biggest headaches at sea?

“Definitely those who speed too close to the coast, but also when passengers are transferred in restricted areas where the safety of bathers is directly endangered. Even swimmers know how to swim outside the bordered area, putting themselves at risk, and some go diving and do not put markers.”

How many speeding fines did the Port Authority write this year?

“We issued HRK 850,000 in fines, which doesn’t make me happy. By comparison, last year, HRK 650,000 in fines were charged. This is worrying because it is a big amount, but it also means that the number of offenses is increasing. People are irresponsible at sea as in any traffic, but our goal is not to print fines, but to reduce such occurrences.”

Among other things, the Port Authority is responsible for the inspection of vessels. Recently, the media has said that some cruisers are allegedly releasing fecal water by Zlatni Rat in Bol. Did the inspectors supervise? How many fecal discharges have been issued this year?

“Last year, seven penalties for discharging sewage water were issued, but this year, we have not had any cases. Swimmers and other people think they see it. Last week we went out on a call, and it turned out to be pine needles. I don't blame people, when you look from afar, it really looks like pollution, and the citizens immediately think its oil or feces. It is incomprehensible to me that people in tourism release feces around swimmers. It is known exactly when and where this is done and how, and inspectors constantly monitor it. We are really moving forward on this issue, but we need to be constantly alert and work on prevention.”

How generally satisfied is Kuštera with the situation on Croatia’s coast in terms of maritime traffic?

“We have an amazing staff in the maritime industry. We are a small country, and our sailors sail around the world over and over and over and over again, listening to competent and well-educated people. But everyone is sailing on our coast today. People rent a boat, use GPS ... by law they must have maps, but the question is how much they know how to read. Just see how they hold a navigational triangle. But that has come about in every business… I am not against growth and development, but there need to be measures in place.”

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August 9, 2019 - A look at the anticipated changes at the Split Ferry Port next year. 

Dalmatinski Portal reports that the breakwater at the Split ferry port and the mooring for cruisers will be occupied by international traffic lines next year, revealed the Split Port Authority on Thursday. 

Specifically, the plan is to move international traffic to the breakwater, freeing up 13,000 square meters at Gat Svetog Duje to accommodate vehicles waiting to board, and at the same time, some domestic lines that land on the breakwater would be drawn closer to the city. While this all sounds great, where would this move the cruisers?

Port Authority Director Vice Mihanović answers. 

“Depending on the need. International traffic lines take priority. If there is room for cruisers, then we will dock cruisers. If there isn’t, then we won’t. We will integrate the regular domestic services in the northern part of the port closer to the city. It's all about making the port and domestic lines flow better,” says Mihanović.

A new international terminal building on the breakwater should be renovated for HRK 60 million. This is the area of the failed Jadran Ribolov, a company that ended in bankruptcy and liquidation. Mihanović says the building is under conservation protection, as well as other facilities in the port, and it will be reconstructed, while the building itself will remain in the same dimensions.

“One of the benefits is that the new terminal building will bring together all the services in one place. From the mooring, pilots, navigation control which is currently in Zenta, to the Harbor Master's Office. They would significantly raise the level of security,” says Mihanović.

The Port Authority is seeking the assistance of the Ministry of the Sea in financing the project for the new terminal building. Mihanović says they have the full support of Split Mayor Andro Krustolović Opara, County prefect Blaženko Boban, and Minister Oleg Butkovic. The management is in the process of obtaining a building permit for the new terminal. It is estimated that this could be resolved by the end of the year, and then a contract for the contractor should be announced. Construction could take two years.

The University of Split is doing two studies, of which the Port Authority expects guidelines to arrange the port further. One relates to cruisers and the other to the concession of the remaining port facilities, breakwater storage facilities, Dalmacijavino building, and parking lots. The Dalmacijavino building is under the special protection of conservationists and must remain in its present form, which is a particular problem. The value of the works on the landscaping of this part of the port is estimated at HRK 60 million, and for it to be executed, it would be necessary to change the general urban plan. 

"When we receive our studies, we will discuss with the City of Split the best direction to develop the port as an integral part of the city," Mihanović concludes. 

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

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