The Public Company for Coastal Zone Management plans to spend 400.000 euros on the purchase of a smaller luxury motor yacht (daily or sport cruiser) for the protocol needs of the state-owned company.
This was unofficially confirmed to "Vijesti" by circles close to the management of Morski dobro, whose director is an official of the New Serbian Democracy. Mladen Mikijelj.
The state-owned company "Vijesti" did not receive answers to questions regarding this procurement, while the Ministry of Spatial Planning, Urbanism and State Property told "Vijesti" that this vessel would be used for educational and scientific tours in protected areas, field activities with domestic and foreign institutions and organizations, presentation of the coast to foreign delegations and potential investors, and the needs of the Coastal Zone and other state institutions of Montenegro.
Morsko dobro has included “vessel procurement” as the 2025nd item in its Public Procurement Plan for 162, which was adopted by the Board of Directors, for which the company’s budget for this year has allocated 400.000 euros including VAT. The Public Procurement Plan does not provide a more detailed explanation of what kind of vessel is involved, but the item administratively lists the numerical code in the public procurement system under which “amphibious vessels and ships” are classified.
The Coastal State Administration did not respond to questions from "Vijesti" about what kind of specific vessel they intend to acquire, on whose initiative it is being done and what it will be used for, given that this state-owned enterprise already has one fast RHIB boat, 7,8 meters long, with a 200 horsepower outboard engine. This boat, made by the Croatian manufacturer "RIS Marine", worth 170.000 euros, was received by the Coastal State Administration in November 2023 as the end beneficiary of the GEF project "Promoting the management of protected areas through integrated protection of marine and coastal ecosystems in the coastal area of Montenegro", which is being implemented in our country by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Ministry of Tourism, Ecology, Sustainable Development and Northern Development. At the time, it was announced that the vessel was "for the purposes of carrying out control in marine protected areas."
"It is true that a new luxury vessel worth 400.000 euros including VAT is being purchased. When asked by the members of the Board of Directors what it was about and why he had included that item in the company's Public Procurement Plan for this year, Mladen Mikijelj simply said that it was a "vessel for protocol purposes and used by strategic partners of the Maritime Administration and investors", and that it was being purchased at the initiative of the relevant minister." Slaven RadunovićTo the surprise of the members of the Board of Directors at this move, Mikijelj simply asked them: "So you would say no to the minister?", a source told "Vijesti".
Slaven Radunović (Nova), who heads the Ministry of Spatial Planning, Urbanism and State Property (MDUP), is Mikijelj's immediate superior because the Coastal Zone is under the jurisdiction of this ministry. The President of the Board of Directors of the Coastal Zone is Zvezdana Janović, an official of the Europe Now Movement from Budva and the wife of the Head of the National Security Agency of Montenegro, Ivica Janović.
The Ministry of Spatial Planning confirmed to "Vijesti" that Morsko dobro will purchase a new vessel, but they denied that this was being done at the initiative and request of Minister Radunović, claiming that Mikijelj was the one who initiated this purchase.
"The plan for the use of financial resources of the Public Company for the Management of the Coastal Zone in 2025, at the proposal of the executive director, plans to purchase a vessel for the needs of adequate management of protected areas and touring the rest of the coast of Montenegro from the sea. It is planned that the vessel in question will also be used for the purpose of implementing activities envisaged in the management plans for protected areas, primarily for educational tours, scientific purposes and other joint field tours with institutions and organizations from Montenegro and abroad. Also, the vessel would be used for touring and presenting the coast with representatives of foreign delegations and potential investors, not only for the needs of the Coastal Zone, but also for the needs of other institutions of the state of Montenegro," this government department told "Vijesti".
Radunović's department emphasizes that "as is known, Montenegro, although it has access to the sea, does not have a single adequate vessel for the needs of the state, when it comes to the national team," and that the minister "agreed with this initiative of the competent authorities of the Maritime Administration."
The claim that Montenegro does not have an “adequate vessel for the needs of the state” is incorrect because the state has all the ships of the Navy of the Army of Montenegro (VCG), including the sailing ship “Jadran” as the most representative vessel representing the state. The Navy of the Army of Montenegro also owns the motor boat ČM-33, one of a series of four such relatively luxurious wooden vessels, about 10 meters long, which were built for the protocol needs of the commanders of the former so-called military-naval sectors of the Yugoslav Navy, who were in the rank of admiral, in 1988-1991. in the Punat shipyard on Krk.
They searched for a yacht at the Düsseldorf fair
The "Vijesti" source emphasizes that Mikijelj and his assistant Nikola Radjenovic In January of this year, in connection with the procurement of a new "protocol vessel" for Morsko dobro, we visited the international boat show "BOOT Düsseldorf" in Düsseldorf, Germany, to familiarize ourselves with the offer of potentially suitable vessels whose price falls within the scope of the Public Procurement Plan of this state-owned company, envisaged for that purpose.
At this fair, one of the largest specialized nautical festivals in Europe, around 1.500 exhibitors from 68 countries around the world presented their offerings from all domains of yachting and recreational nautical activities.
With a budget of 400.000 euros, according to the current offer, one can purchase one of several models of vessels (mini yachts - so-called daily cruisers or fast speedboats) from 30 to 45 feet (9,14 to 13,7 meters) in length with inboard or outboard engines, of various concepts and levels of luxury. This price range includes, for example, models such as the “Aquila 32 Sport”, “Axopar 45 XC Cross Cabin”, “Beneteau Gran Turismo 36”, “Chaparral 347 SSX”, “Cutwater C-32 CB”, “Jeanneau DB/37 OB”, “Ranger Tugs R-31 Sedan2”, “Regal 33 Express”, “Sea Ray 320 Sundancer” or “Tiara 34LS”.
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