The vessel will be used to protect sea border.
Croatian Interior Minister Vlaho Orepić visited the “Željko Raguž” police vessel, which was anchored at a pier in Srebreno near Dubrovnik, reports Poslovni.hr on February 14, 2017.
According to the Interior Ministry, the vessel is named after Željko Raguž, a deceased police officer and a member of the special police unit of the Dubrovnik-Neretva Police Department.
“This police boat represents another step towards Croatia’s entry into the Schengen area. It is a step toward a safer Croatia and the common European future. And for that reason, Željko Raguž is a symbol of Croatian future. I am proud that the Ministry of the Interior, with regards to the so-called Schengen Facility which is worth 120 million euros, has successfully completed its tasks and used more than 97 percent of the funds available”, said Interior Minister Orepić.
Minister Orepić met with the family of the deceased police officer Raguž. The presentation ceremony was also attended by chief of the Dubrovnik-Neretva Police Department Tonći Radibratović and head of the Department for EU projects Dražen Vuleta.
The police boat has been purchased with funds from the so-called Schengen Facility. Its technical characteristics enable it to navigate the seas during weather conditions which are prevailing in the local area. The vessel will be used by the Dubrovnik-Neretva Police Department for the protection of the external sea borders of Croatia.
The crew consists of seven members, and the vessel is able to accommodate two additional persons. The vessel can navigate without refuelling for 600 nautical miles, and it has supplies of drinking water and food from a minimum of 10 days. The ship is equipped with a thermal vision camera, which was also purchased with funds from the Schengen Facility.
Speaking recently about the topic, Prime Minister Plenković said that the full accession of Croatia to the Schengen Area was a major political goal of the current government. However, Croatia still has a lot of work to complete, because it has recently received as many as 98 recommendations for improvements from the European Commission. The main problem in the Interior Ministry in the chain of command, while problems which are under the jurisdiction of other ministries are related to transport issues: some airports are inadequately prepared for Schengen, while train stations are far from being ready.
Croatia has used the funds from the Schengen Facility to purchase vehicles, vessels and other technical equipment that allow for better control of the border. Some of the money also went to equipping diplomatic and consular missions abroad.
