Radjenovic: Montenegro needs a national shipping company and a regular Bar-Bari-Ancona line 365 days a year

Montenegro needs a national shipping company and a regular Bar-Bari-Ancona line 365 days a year, said Blažo Rađenović, Vice President of the Civic Movement URA.

"While the 43rd Government of Montenegro worked on strengthening and investing in maritime infrastructure by purchasing eight ships for ferry transport on the Kamenari-Lepetane line, building a water terminal at the Tivat airport, returning the Port of Budva to the ownership of the Budva Municipality, returning Pine to the Municipality of Tivat, and preparing a sustainable solution for the Montenegrin and Bar Shipping Companies, today we are witnessing the incredible policy of the 44th Government of Montenegro, which, by selling the ships 'Kotor' and '21. maj', has shown that maritime transport does not concern it and that we are becoming the only country in the Mediterranean that will not have a maritime company," Radjenovic pointed out in a statement.

He added that URA advocates for a Montenegro in which all citizens, regardless of which part of the country they live in, have access to modern, reliable and functional infrastructure - transport, energy, digital, utility, health and education.

"We advocate for the planning, financing and implementation of strategic infrastructure projects that serve people, connect communities, create jobs and protect nature. Infrastructure must become a state priority because it is a prerequisite for development in every area - not through populism, but through measurable and visible steps, based on knowledge, expertise, transparency and long-term vision," said Radjenovic.

He said that URA, in its 'Montenegro 365' program, has a clear vision for the development of Montenegrin maritime transport.

"The Port of Bar represents one of the greatest infrastructural potentials of Montenegro and a key point for the development of the national economy and transport connectivity. URA advocates for the return of the container terminal to the Port of Bar system in order to enable its completion and modernization - one part of the terminal would be technologically upgraded for goods traffic, while the other would be adapted to accommodate cruise ships, which would open up new opportunities in tourism. Also, our idea is to establish a strong Montenegrin maritime company, as the foundation of national shipping, with the purchase of a ship that would maintain the regular Bar-Bari-Ancona line 365 days a year, connecting Montenegro with Italy," emphasized Radjenovic.

He also said that URE's idea is to launch intercity traffic with electric vessels on the Montenegrin coast, as well as establish new ferry lines, while respecting the highest environmental standards, which, as he said, would greatly reduce traffic congestion on the roads on the Montenegrin coast.

"We are witnesses to how poor our transport infrastructure is and how it represents a barrier for many investors, as well as tourists, to come to our country, which is why maritime transport is a great potential that we have and which we must treat as a national priority," said Radjenovic.