Bar lost ferries with Bari and Ancona

Ferry lines from Bar to Bari, Durres and Ancona will not carry passengers and vehicles this year, and it is questionable whether they will operate next year, even though the Minister of Maritime Affairs Filip Radulović Last year, he claimed that the government was working dedicatedly on expanding the maritime network and that, after he took over the portfolio, Montenegro had four maritime lines.

The line to Bari was operated by the ferry "Dalmacija" owned by the Croatian company "Jadrolinija", and the line to Durres and Ancona was operated by the ferry "Mia" of the Italian company "Adria Ferries".

"Vijesti" did not receive any answers to questions about this problem, which were sent last week from Minister Radulović's department.

Executive director of "Barska plovidba" Boris Mihailović "Vijesti" officially stated that this year, during the summer season, the sea line from Bar to Bari will not operate because the Croatian company "Jadrolinija" does not have a ship available for that route.

"Barska" and Radulović's department previously announced that the ship "Dalmacija" would connect Bar and Bari for six months in 2026. However, the contract for this work and cooperation has not yet been signed, and Mihailović says that there will be none.

"The contract will not be signed because, as was presented to the representatives of 'Barska plovidba' at a meeting in Rijeka, 'Jadrolinija's' ship 'Marko Polo' no longer meets the standards for international lines. The ship 'Dalmacija' will also take over its lines to Italy and there is no space to maintain the Bar-Bari line," Mihajlović told the editorial staff.

It is very likely, he added, that the contract with "Jadrolinija" will not be active next year either because, as they were told at the meeting, they are not planning to soon purchase a ship that could eventually be involved in the maintenance of that line.

As he told "Vijesti", the Ancona - Bar - Durres line is also questionable and has not yet been confirmed for this season because Pier V in the Bar port has not yet been repaired.

"The reason is that Pier V has not yet been repaired, and even when it is repaired, the consent of the port authorities for the docking of the ship 'Mia' there is questionable. Last year, the docking was organized at an alternative location within the port, with everyone's efforts to maintain continuity due to previously assumed obligations and sold tickets," said Mihailović.

The alternative docking and the entire organization is on the verge of legality, in his words, and is almost unprofitable for "Barska Plovidba" because "the possibility of doing something similar this year has not yet been confirmed, partly due to the occupation of the dock for commercial use."

What did Radulović say?

Over the past two years, the Minister of Maritime Affairs has been saying that the Government is continuing its intensive efforts to expand the maritime network and improve regional connectivity.

"The Bar-Bari line will enable safe and efficient transport of passengers and goods," Radulović said earlier, adding that the line to Bari is the fourth maritime line established by the current government, which he assessed as a significant step in the development of Montenegro's maritime infrastructure.

Each new line contributes to the strengthening of our economy, the development of tourism and the opening of new opportunities for citizens and the economy, he said, and the Government's initiatives confirm their commitment to positioning Montenegro as a "key point on the maritime map of the Adriatic."

The ship "Dalmacija" of the Croatian company "Jadrolinija" was supposed to sail from July 1 to August 27, 2025, transporting passengers and cars and connecting the Montenegrin port of Bar with the Italian port of Bari. There was also room to extend the line's operation to September, but at the time they said that this would depend on negotiations between the companies. The ship was supposed to sail on this section at least once a week.

Despite announcements, the "Dalmacija" did not set sail on July 1st because, due to extraordinary circumstances and an accident on the ship "Bartol Kašić", owned by the same Croatian company, several departures on the Bar - Bari and Dubrovnik - Bari lines were canceled.

Radulović and Mihailović then hosted the Italian ambassador. Andrea Marcel, but on the ferry "Mia", which opened the Ancona - Durres - Bar sea line the previous year.

Commenting on the potential establishment of a Montenegrin, direct, line to Bari, which has existed for years, Radulović said at the time that they did not rule out the possibility of purchasing a ferry, but that their primary focus now was cooperation with "Jadrolinija".

At that time, they had a contract with the Croatian company until mid-September, and the plan, according to him, was to extend that period to six months this year. However, it turned out that the ship would never set sail from the port of Bar.

"We will see with the Prime Minister (Milojko Spajić) and the Ministry of Finance what we can do regarding a ferry. It is not ruled out that we will enter into a purchase agreement in the near future. For now, the focus is on cooperation with 'Jadrolinija'," Radulović said earlier.

Ferries to the pride, pier under water

Although many parties boasted about establishing two ferry lines with Italy, the events that followed last July and August showed that the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and the company "Barska plovidba" were not ready for this job.

On the last day of July, an accident occurred at Pier V, the place where the ferry “Dalmacija” and the large ferry “AS Mia” moor and carry out loading and unloading operations for vehicles and passengers. Both lines were then suspended.

Two holes about 15 meters in diameter have appeared in the pier, with visible depressions and cracks in the concrete cover, about two to three meters deep. Patching the holes will cost 300 thousand euros, and the work will be paid for from the funds of the "Port of Bar" for the time being.

The ferry "AF Mia" sailed from the port of Bar on August 11th last year, after the maritime line was suspended until further notice due to damage to a part of the operational line.

This solution was then offered by the management of AD "Luka Bar", which also provided other conditions within their jurisdiction in order to "save" the maritime line last summer season - they made an alternative pier operational, hired private security, and the Municipality of Bar took on the obligation to close the road near the pier.