Ferries on the Kamenare - Lepetani line transport around 7.800 vehicles daily.

The Maritime and Coastal Transport Sector of the Public Company for Coastal Zone Management is conducting or preparing regular annual overhauls and dockings of three of the eight ships that the company has at its disposal, but despite this, this is not reflected in the dynamics of providing services on the only ferry line in the country, Kamenari - Lepetane, across the Verige Strait in the Bay of Kotor.

"Currently, we have five ships in constant operation during the day, and a sixth is ready to enter traffic if it is required by the possibly increased periodic dynamics of the influx of vehicles in Lepetani or Kamenari. With these five, possibly six ships, we meet all the needs of users and the longest waiting time to board the ferry is up to 15 minutes. During the night, from midnight to six in the morning, two ferries operate, and during the weekend and the day before the weekend, three ferries operate. Currently, on average, we transport around 7.800 vehicles of all categories from one side of the bay to the other daily," the head of the Sector, Captain, told "Vijesti" yesterday. Aleksandar Crvenko.

Otherwise, Morsko dobro must carry out repairs on three of its ships this year - the ferries "Grbalj", "Teodo" and "Perast". Their current seaworthiness certificates have already expired or will soon expire, and therefore they must undergo regular repairs and dry-docking hull inspections at the shipyard, which are carried out every other year during docking, in order for the Technical Inspectorate of the Maritime Safety and Port Management Administration of Montenegro to renew their navigation permits. Regular repairs were already carried out last year on the other five vessels of the Maritime and Coastal Transport Sector.

The Adriatic42 shipyard in Bijela is already nearing the end of the docking and regular overhaul of the ferry “Perast”, which will be put back into service by the end of next week. “Perast” has been at the large dock of the Adriatic42 shipyard for several days, together with the tugboat “Boka sky” from the company Boka Pilot&Tug Services from Bijela. The simultaneous docking of these two ships was also a kind of small technical feat because, due to the large difference in the shape of the hull and, in particular, the larger draft of the tugboat compared to the ferry, the shipbuilders of the Adriatic 42 company had to create a significantly higher “bed” on the deck of the floating dock than the underlay on which the ferry rested, so that both ships would “float” out of the sea at the same time when the dock lifted them, without either the ferry or the tugboat losing stability at that very sensitive moment.

This is the first time that the domestic shipyard Adriatic42 has overhauled one of the Morsko dobro ferries, as their bid in the tender for the overhaul of the “Perasta” was the most favorable. Morsko dobro will pay 77.475 euros including VAT for this job in Bijela. The most favorable bid for the significantly more extensive and complicated overhaul of the “Grbalj” ferry was submitted by the company “Lošinjska plovidba - Brodogradilište” from Mali Lošinj, Croatia, which will be working on the ship for the next almost a month. In addition to the usual regular dock and other overhaul works, the “Grbalj” will also undergo a general repair of its “Cummins” main engines, as well as a general service of both of its special so-called Schottel propellers. The overhaul of the ferry Morsko dobro will cost 360.000 euros excluding VAT.

When the “Grbalj” returns from its overhaul in Croatia, the ferry “Teodo” will undergo regular repairs and maintenance, the navigation papers of which are valid until the end of September. For the overhaul of the “Teodo”, Morsko doro signed a contract worth 148.162 euros excluding VAT with the company “Brodogradilište Punat” from the town of the same name on the island of Krk in Croatia, which was the best bidder in the tender.