Jadrolinija announces ferry reductions for 2021

The announced reduction of maritime lines to the islands and vice versa was driven by the coronavirus pandemic and the global economy, which also reduced the number of passengers. 

On one of the 52 state lines, there will be reductions in maritime traffic, the director of the Coastal Shipping Agency Paola Vidović confirmed for Radio Zadar about a document that was submitted on January 28, 2021, at the suggestion of the Ministry of the Sea signed by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković.

This is a consequence of the coronavirus pandemic, which also had a negative impact on the shipping business. The Ministry of the Sea, therefore, approved a change in the scope of navigation in public maritime transport. The islanders do not want reductions, they feel isolated enough already.

This is a logical and rational solution because the statistics show that on some certain lines there has been a drastic drop in traffic and of course this is maintained on the business of shipping companies. For example, some lines from Split to Dubrovnik recorded a 90% drop in traffic and revenue, especially in the off-season. It is by no means a question of abolishing any of the state lines because everything we do is in cooperation with the islanders and for their benefit.

Paola Vidović

They also commented on the situation in the Municipality of Preko because the line Zadar – Preko with 16 daily ferry lines and 10 boat lines in the winter is the busiest in the Zadar archipelago. Mayor Jure Brižić believes that line reductions will harm the already isolated island economy:

We saw the government’s decision on Thursday, I personally did not hear from the director, but I think that the statistics are not so significantly bad that it would cause serious problems in Jadrolinija’s business. If the request to limit the lines reaches us, we will not support it. There are still a lot of weekenders, a lot of people come to the island on weekends and on the other hand, the building is working, as far as that part is concerned, nothing has stopped, so it would not be good to reduce the number of lines. There has also been no school so far, but now there are passengers, children travel to high school by boat and, of course, people who work in Zadar. We hope for the normalization of life and not for reductions.

Jure Brižić

Jadrolinija made a statement for Glasotoka.hr:

The Coastal Shipping Agency, in agreement with shipowners and local island communities, will conclude whether the rationalization of daily voyages on individual ferry lines is necessary and justified. At this point, we believe that there will be no significant changes and that each island will be provided with a good connection to the mainland.

Jadrolinija

Fill in the Jadrolinija questionnaire and answer what you are (dis)satisfied with

Jadrolinija has published a public survey, through which they want to find out through 20 questions with offered answers what their passengers are (dis)satisfied with, how they travel and buy tickets or how often they travel. They also left an open section for passengers to suggest improvements to their services.

The questionnaire (in Croatian language only) can be found at the link.

Sources: Morski.hr, Morski.hr, Glasotoka.hr