CESMA conference on navigation safety held in Zadar

A conference on places of refuge including safety of navigation in the Adriatic Sea was held in the Croatian seaport of Zadar on Saturday as part of the annual general assembly of the Confederation of European Shipmasters' Associations.

"The biggest maritime problem in recent years is piracy. A shipmaster is increasingly less a navigator and increasingly more an administrator and now even a safety expert," said Slobodan Vrdoljak, secretary general of the union of Croatian shipmasters' associations.

The state secretary at the Croatian Sea, Transport and Infrastructure Ministry, capt. Mario Babic, said all Croatian seamen would have an accelerated retirement plan and be eligible for retirement at 60 years of age and with 15 years of navigation.

He pointed to the lack of qualified maritime officers both in Croatia and globally.

Croatia has 380 natural places of refuge and 270 ports.

The conference, which drew about 30 European shipmasters, was organised by the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure Ministry and the union of Croatian shipmasters' associations.


(Hina)