Government Supports Scholarship Program for Educating future Maritime Personnel

In order to popularize maritime professions the Croatian Government has decided on today's session to support the program for granting scholarships to regular scholars and students at maritime schools and universities. An amount of HRK 1 million will invested in that program and distributed via the Ministry of the Sea, Tourism, Transport and Development.

The scholarships will be divided via public tenders organized by the Ministry, and those who receive the scholarships will have the obligation to spend a certain period of time on a vessel sailing under the Croatian flag, once they have finished their education.

The chosen university students may expect financial support in the amount of HRK 1200 per month, and the high-school scholars may expect a monthly amount of HRK 800 per month.

In order to get the scholarship the applicant has to attend class regularly and he has to have rather high grades.

The Minister of the Sea, Tourism, Transport and Development Božidar Kalmeta pointed out that there was not enough trained personnel in Croatia and that a large part (26 000) of the existing seamen were working on vessels sailing under foreign flags, whilst only 6 280 of the Croatian seamen were to be found on domestic ships.

Statistics also show that the world fleet has a shortage of 10 000 seamen. 

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