The Public Company for the Management of Morski Dob has announced a tender for the overhaul of the ferry "Trideseti August", which was decommissioned a month and a half ago and put into disrepair.
The tender, with an estimated value of 500.000 euros including VAT, envisages extensive work on the repair of the 53-year-old ferry, which was purchased by a state-owned company in Croatia at the beginning of this year for 569.000 euros. Offers must be submitted until January 9, 2024, when they will be opened.
In addition to the standard dock work performed on the underwater part of the ship's hull, ship repairers are required, among other things, to repair the damage to the hull that "Thirtieth August" has in the area of the dry tank on the aft part of the ship, replace the complete fenders on the port and starboard side of the ferry, worn sheet metal in a dozen places on the ship's hull and deck and installed new sheet metal inserts with a total weight of 0,8 tons, repaired leaks in the exhaust systems of the ferry's main and auxiliary engines, which exhaust gases in addition to the usual way - through the ship's chimney, also into the ventilation system and the ship's engine room itself, replacing the worn-out suction and discharge pipes of cooling water for the engine room, overhauling the ferry's existing fire pump because it does not provide the necessary pressure, paying special attention to the bearings number 3 and 7 of the shaft lines, which are overheating...
During the overhaul, which will take at least a month, it is planned to dismantle the mast-supporting towers on the bow and stern of the ship from the "Thirtieth of August", and make and install completely new protective boxes for the hydraulics of the bow and stern loading ramps for vehicles. It was requested that according to the dimensions of the existing devices, new boarding ramps with associated connections be installed on the ship.
Although the commanders in charge of the "Thirtieth August" requested in recent months that during the first subsequent overhaul of the ship, the existing, awning-covered large deck for passengers, which significantly limits visibility from the ferry's wheelhouse and makes maneuvering difficult when docking, be removed from it, this has been abandoned for now because that intervention would further increase the already large estimate for the upcoming overhaul of the ferry.
Morski dobr previously did not respond to a set of "Vijesti" questions regarding the overhaul of this ferry, which were sent when they recently changed this year's public procurement plan.
On October 21st, the validity of the second temporary seaworthiness certificate issued by the Maritime Safety and Port Management Administration of Montenegro expired on October XNUMXst, and in order for the ferry to return to traffic, it is necessary to complete overhaul and docking, so that The administration issued a new certificate of seaworthiness.
After its former long-term owner, the Croatian state shipping company Jadrolinija from Rijeka, unsuccessfully offered it for sale twice at a scrap price of around 90.000 euros, this ferry was bought at the end of last year for 252.000 euros by the small company ABM Tours from Neviđan, in order to just a few months later, she sold it to the Montenegrin state company Morsko dobro for as much as 569.000 euros. The purchase of the ship is being investigated by the Special State Prosecutor's Office.
The ferry has outstanding maneuverability
Even though it is an old and poorly maintained ship in which a lot of money needs to be invested, the crews serving "Trideseti August" love that ship, which they claim has performed well in exploitation on the Kamenari - Lepetane line.
"Thanks to the fact that it has two so-called Voith Schneider thrusters, and not classic propellers or Schottel thrusters, "Thirdest August" has outstanding maneuvering characteristics and is very easy to control. It performed excellently in landing on operational shores in Kamenari and Lepetani and when extremely low and extremely high sea levels, and strong winds don't bother it nearly as much as these other ferries", said the interviewee of "Vijesti", who has been sailing on this ferry for months, adding that it is problematic that the ship is quite old and poorly maintained since by its former owners in the last ten years.
And while "The Thirtieth of August" practically "did not go out" for months, until its validity period expired, and constantly sailed across the Veriga Strait, the same cannot be said for the other ship that Morsko Dobro bought this year - the large ferry "Hand of Justice" ". Built in 76 in Greece, this 16,4-meter-long and 86-meter-wide barge that can accommodate 405 cars and 2000 passengers was paid for over 3,2 million euros. The ferry, which the dispatchers immediately said was too big and completely unsuitable for the Kamenari - Lepetane line, has some completely unnecessary facilities on two decks under the command bridge - a large salon with a cafe for passengers, or accommodation cabins for the crew.
Apart from being used for a short time in one eight-hour shift during the biggest summer crowds on the Kamenari - Lepetane line, the "Hand of Justice" has been moored in Lepetane for most of the time since Morsko Dobro brought it from Greece to Boka in June, completely unused and idle. The purchase of that ship has so far proven to be a complete business failure of JP Morsko dobro, which did not even bother to rent "Ruka Pravde" if it is not used in Boka during the off-season months to another shipowner in Croatia or Greece who would have a need for such by ferry.
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