European roads are traversed by Velebit Promet’s trucks with heavy loads from domestic exporters

When he graduated from the Faculty of Maritime Studies in Rijeka, the director and co-owner of Liburnija Maritime Agency Marin Škufca never dreamed that one day his company would become the owner of a company that has a fleet of thirty tractor trucks, thirty-five trailers and semi-trailers, hydraulic pumps for cargo handling, truck cranes, and several different vehicles for escorting special cargo. This refers to the fleet of Velebit Promet from Dugo Selo, a company with a thirty-year history that has been 100% owned by the Liburnija Maritime Agency from Opatija since October last year.

Everything started for Škufca in 2004, literally the day after graduation, when he went for a job interview at the then newly established Liburnija Maritime Agency with his future boss, and today’s business partner and co-owner, Captain Danko Crnčević.

The company started, as its name suggests, as a maritime agency, but soon began to engage in the business of chartering ships or parts of ship space for cargo transport. The business continuously grew and developed, and they began offering clients transportation of goods to the final destination, so the total annual revenue reached 80 million kuna, and they evolved from a maritime agency into a large logistics provider and carrier. Škufca and Crnčević, each with a 40 percent stake, are today equal co-owners of Liburnija Maritime Agency, specialized in logistics and transportation of heavy and oversized cargo, both on land and at sea, while eight percent is owned by co-founder Željko Petrović, and the remaining 12 percent is owned by key people in the company.

The idea of acquiring Velebit Promet, a company founded in 1992 by Mile Gnjatović, came spontaneously as long-time Liburnija business partners, the Gnjatović spouses, decided to sell and retire, making the acquisition a logical step for the Opatija company, which rounded off its business and became the owner of a land fleet for transporting special cargo for the first time. Thus, the members of the Management Board of Velebit became Škufca and Crnčević, as well as Borna Petrović and Danijela Andesilić, who was also appointed as the executive director.

Read the whole story about Škufca’s entrepreneurial journey, Liburnija Maritime Agency, and Velebit Promet in the printed and digital edition of Lider.