This is a new record for Croatian national passenger shipping company.
For the first time in its history, Jadrolinija has transported more than 11 million passengers in one year. The occasion was marked in Rijeka where the 11 millionth passenger – Elizabeta Škunca from Novalja on the island of Pag – was officially welcomed, reports HRT on December 2, 2016.
From 1 January 2016, Jadrolinija has transported 11 million passengers and 2.7 million vehicles, which is an increase of traffic by 4 percent. Almost half of all the passengers were transported in July and August, when the fleet carried about 5 million passengers and one million vehicles. Jadrolinija’s fleet now consists of 50 ships which service 37 lines, and the company employs about 1,700 workers.
Alan Klanac, the CEO of Jadrolinija, said that the company last year transported nearly 11 million passengers and that next year will bring additional growth. “This is just a prelude to 2017, which will be an important year for Jadrolinija, since we will mark 70 years of operations, as well as 145 years of uninterrupted passenger services on the Adriatic Sea”, said Klanac, adding that the next year will also be the 120th anniversary of the Jadran Palace in Rijeka, where the company headquarters are located.
Klanac said that the concession tenders would be announced next year and that Jadrolinija was confident it would be as successful as before. According to him, traffic is growing, which would not be possible without an increase of the fleet. “I think that our fleet is one of the best in the Mediterranean. However, we cannot stop and we are motivated to be even better”, he said, adding that the Croatian shipyards were well developed and that he believed they would continue to construct new Jadrolinija’s ships.
He stressed that the company has been continuously updating its fleet – with more than 20 new ships built during the last 20 years. He pointed out that last year the Jadrolinija development strategy was adopted, together with an investment plan worth 300 million euros in the next ten years.
Asked about the potential competition, Klanac said that Jadrolinija’s plan was to “keep Croatian seamen on Croatian ships with Croatian flags”. “What will happen with the competition depends on their interest, and I believe that it will probably consist of entrepreneurs who will not have as much experience in this job as we have”, said Klanac, adding that major foreign passenger shipping companies now had enough work and not enough ships to spread to the Adriatic Sea market.
