The maritime line between Budva and Dubrovnik during the past summer season was extremely successful and fully justified expectations, said Minister of Maritime Affairs Filip Radulović.
He announced that the line will be active during the next year as well, "starting from the very beginning of the summer season."
"This line, which represents a significant contribution to the improvement of the tourist offer, not only enables an easier connection between the two cities, but also contributes to the reduction of congestion on the roads, improving the traffic infrastructure and the quality of life of citizens and tourists. The plan is for Dubrovnik to be connected next year and with another coastal city in Montenegro, which will further enrich the offer," said Radulović.
The seasonal Dubrovnik-Budva-Dubrovnik shipping line launched on June 29, this summer was maintained by the Croatian company Kompas (Adriatic Lines) with its fast passenger catamaran "Antonija", with a capacity of 242 passengers.
However, after only about a month of operation of the line, navigation on it was suddenly suspended at the beginning of August. Namely, "Antonija" was then withdrawn to a much more profitable line in Croatia for its owner, i.e. the line between Croatian cities and Trieste in Italy, and where that ship was temporarily for two weeks, then it was replaced by another Kompas catamaran, which due to technical problems was fell out of traffic.
The Ministry of Maritime Affairs, which conveyed Radulović's assessment of the "exceptional success" of the Dubrovnik-Budva-Dubrovnik line, did not, however, provide any information on the number of voyages "Antonija" made on that route this summer, nor on the total number of transported passengers, nor on the height of income that Morsko achieved well by providing port services to "Antonia" in the Budva city port.
"The Ministry of Maritime Affairs will continue to invest in the promotion of Montenegro as a nautical and maritime destination, as well as in the improvement of maritime connectivity. The establishment of new shipping lines between Montenegrin coastal cities and neighboring tourist metropolises is of key importance, both for tourism and for everyday traffic, because enables better connections, faster transport and reduction of traffic jams", said the ministry.
"Our mission is to enable all citizens and tourists to travel more easily and enjoy their stay in Montenegro. Developing maritime traffic is a key element of our strategic plan for improving the tourist offer and encouraging the sustainable development of our coast," concluded Radulović.
They pointed out that "maritime connectivity between Montenegrin cities and neighboring destinations is becoming more and more important, and the Ministry of Maritime Affairs will continue to work on its further expansion, in order to enable citizens and tourists to travel as comfortably and quickly as possible".
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