The Adriatic Will Welcome Even More Cruise Ships This Year

This year, the Croatian Adriatic is expected to see more cruise ships than last year, with 963 announced to visit its ports, compared to 911 last year, and an increase in arrivals of tourist ships is also anticipated in river ports, according to the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure.

According to data from the maritime port authorities, this year, as stated by the Ministry, the largest number of cruise ship arrivals to the Adriatic is expected in the ports of Dubrovnik and Split, which have also been the most visited in previous years.

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“The Port of Dubrovnik in 2018 expects to continue operations similar to those in 2017, with a slight reduction in the number of port calls and a slight increase in the number of passengers on cruise trips due to changes in the business environment of cruise tourism,” the Ministry emphasizes.

They add that the Port Authority of Dubrovnik started this cruise season on Sunday, March 18, with the arrival of the Viking Star ship carrying a total of 929 passengers.

During this year, the port of Dubrovnik-Gruž expects 441 ship calls, with around 740,000 passengers, which is a 2 percent decrease in port calls compared to last year and about a 4 percent increase in passengers. Additionally, this port has been announced to receive seven ship calls from vessels visiting Dubrovnik for the first time.

The Ministry also states that other ports expect more cruise ships this year, with the Port Authority of Rijeka currently announcing 11 cruise ship calls, the Port Authority of Split 275, the Port Authority of Zadar 130 to 140, and the Port Authority of Šibenik 112, which is a total of 20 percent more port calls and up to about 20 percent more passengers than last year.

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In addition to maritime ports, a higher number of vessels is also expected this year in inland navigation ports managed by the Port Authority of Vukovar in the ports of Vukovar, Ilok, Batina, and Aljmaš, as well as under the Port Authority of Osijek in the port of Osijek.

“Vukovar expects 328 ships, or nearly 50 more than last year, when 279 vessels visited the ports managed by the Port Authority of Vukovar. Osijek expects 70 vessels, or 15 more than in 2017, most of which are river cruise ships,” the Ministry states.

Regarding river cruise ships, they say that they most often arrive in Vukovar and Osijek from Vienna, Bratislava, or Budapest, heading towards the Black Sea.

“In addition to the aforementioned ports in Vukovar, Batina, Ilok, Aljmaš, and Osijek, the French river cruise ship Victor Hugo occasionally appears, which sails from the Danube into the Sava, and then travels via Slavonski Brod to Sisak, of course, when the water level of the Sava is favorable for its navigation,” the Ministry concludes.