Today, Branko Bačić the State Secretary for Sea addressed the representatives of the City and County of Zadar as well as the County of Šibenik-Knin. The topic of that meeting was the traffic integration of the Zadar and Šibenik waterways.
After the session, Bačić stated that they had mostly talked about the project of enlarging the waterway 'Mali Ždrelac' (line under the bridge linking the Islands of Pašman and Ugljan).
The State Secretary also announced that, the following week, the Ministry would discuss the project of reconstructing that waterway by raising the Pašman-Ugljan Bridge. After stating the range of the project, finances would be discussed.
According to his words, they had also discussed the linking of several villages on the Island of Molat, which were all demanding ferry lines. The Ministry would try to gratify those demands, f.ex. in case of the villages Zapuntela and Brgulj.
The Ministry was also considering the proposal of introducing a fast sea link with Kukljica on the Island of Ugljan and regarding several links with Olib, Silba and Premuda. Bačić underlined that the seasonal time-table for next year would be prolonged until the end of October instead of this year’s end of September.
The Ministry was expecting great improvements after the passing of the Line Maritime Traffic Act. In accordance to that Act, the Government would make a decision about the procedure for granting concessions to the new carriers competing for State lines. They would also have to define the conditions valid for those carriers, who will be participating in the tender. After all, an agency would be established for the follow-up of the realization of that Act, in order to introduce order to the line coast traffic.
Representatives of the Ministry, of the Zadar local self-government and of the County of Šibenik-Knin inspected the tugboat 'Gea' on the berth at the Zadar marina which the Ministry employed from the Adriatic Sea Service for Sea Search and Rescue and for the suppression of pollution in the Zadar waterways. (Hina)