At the beginning of the year, Croatia a new safety regulation came into force, which raised questions. Irrespective of the new regulations, however, it was noted that the long coastline with its numerous islands and bays is difficult to monitor. Many places can only be reached by water.
However, the authorities are likely to increase their presence soon: The first of seven new Kapetanija patrol boats was launched at the Iskra shipyard in Šibenik, Dalmatia. In contrast to the Croatian Coast Guard, which is part of the navy, the Kapetanija a civil regulatory authority.
The range of tasks of the Kapetanija
The tasks of the white boats with the blue hull band and crossed anchors include not only traditional harbour surveillance but also the SAR service and the general safeguarding of safe maritime traffic - and thus also the monitoring of the applicable laws by commercial and recreational shipping, such as the new safety regulations.
The new Kapetanija boat type corresponds to comparable designs of modern aluminium emergency vehicles with a wider range of tasks. According to the shipyard, the 15 metre long boats can reach a maximum speed of 40 knots. At cruising speed, the range is given as 430 nautical miles. They are designed as self-righting vessels.
Eight bases, seven new boats
Following the delivery of the first boat, number two is already nearing completion. The other five are to be delivered to Kapetanija in the coming months. The total costs amount to 13.6 million euros.
No information was yet available about the deployment locations of the respective new arrivals. Kapetanija currently has a total of eight bases along the coast, from Istria in the north to southern Dalmatia: Pula, Rijeka, Senj, Zadar, Šibenik, Split, Ploče and Dubrovnik.
