Directors and officers can work in NOTS, profession is not important

Only directors and heads of institutions and bodies closely specialized in the sea can join the National Sea Search and Rescue Committee (NOTS), while ministries that have no relation to the sea can nominate any of their officials. The current rules, however, do not at all provide for the obligation that those who have the most professional knowledge and experience in practice in that field enter that body.

This is the essence of the response that "Vijesti" received from the Ministry of Transport and Maritime Affairs (MSM) on the trajectory related to the scandal when the Government of Montenegro did not include the most trained and experienced expert in the field of tracking and tracing in the recently appointed NOTS. rescue (SAR) at sea, assistant director of the Maritime Safety and Port Management Administration of Montenegro (UPSUL) for the Navigation Safety Sector, Žarko Lukšić.

"Viiesti" wrote last Sunday about the non-appointment of Lukšić in the NOTS despite his impressive professional qualifications and specialization specifically in SAR and safety at sea, and extensive experience from numerous search and rescue operations that he led in the past years in the Montenegrin territorial sea and in the international waters of the southern Adriatic .

Not placing Lukšić in NOTS, which, among other things, should deal with "approving standard operating procedures that coordinate the work of subjects and individuals participating in search and rescue operations at sea, monitoring and improving the work of employees in the UPSUL Search and Rescue Department; proposing measures to improve the search and rescue system; proposing a training program (basic and supplementary) for persons involved in the coordination and implementation of search and rescue", shocked and outraged the professional maritime public who commented on this move by the MSP.

Appointments by function, not by expertise

"Members of NOTS are appointed on the basis of the current National Search and Rescue Plan, which was adopted by the Government in July last year, and which clearly defines who can be a member of that body. Article 3.4 of the current NOTS prescribes that these are: general director for maritime traffic and maritime safety; director of the Administration of Maritime Safety and Port Management; representative of the Ministry of Defense - commander of the Navy of the Army of Montenegro; representative of the MUP - Police Directorate - head of the Border Police Sector; representative of the MUP - Directorate for Protection and Rescue; representative of the Ministry of Ecology, Spatial Planning and Urbanism; representative of the Ministry of Health; representative of the Civil Aviation Agency, captain of the Port Authority of Bar, captain of the Port Authority of Kotor. Therefore, the members of the Board were appointed on the basis of prescribed conditions and criteria, so that no one could join the Board other than the defined representatives, because that would mean a violation of the provisions of Article 3.4 of the current Plan. It is clearly defined that a member of the Board can only be the director of UPSUL", was answered by "Vijesti" from MSP when asked why they proposed such composition of NOTS without Lukšić.

Ten days ago, the government appointed NOTS Maja Mijušković, Acting General Director of the Maritime Directorate of the Ministry of Transport and Maritime Affairs, who will also be the president of that body, the director of UPSUL Haris Husić, commander of the Croatian Navy, frigate captain Milan Jevtović, acting assistant director of the Police Administration - Border Police Sector Milutin Vasiljevića, director general of the Directorate for Protection and Rescue of the MUP Miodrag Bešović, an independent consultant in the Ministry of Tourism, Ecology, Sustainable Development and Development of the North Dina Skarep, an independent consultant in the Directorate for Control and Improvement of the Quality of Health Care of the Ministry of Health Drazen Ljumović, director of the Air Navigation Safety Sector at the Civil Aviation Agency Ivan Šćekić and harbor captains in Bar Predrag Ratković, i.e. Kotor, Mirko Fuštić.

She was appointed secretary of NOTS Darinka Joksimović, independent consultant I in the Directorate of Maritime Safety and Port Management.

The MSP did not respond to the question of whether the minister considers Filip Radulović Personally, the shortcoming is that Žarko Lukšić, a proven expert with extensive experience, did not join NOTS, that is, whether Radulović perceives Lukšić's omission from NOTS as an affirmation of the principles of expertise and meritocracy in the areas that are under the competence of the MSP, and for which the minister is publicly pledges.

Lukšić is an expert, so he remains an assistant

"As defined in point 5.2. The National Search and Rescue Plan at Sea, which states, among other things, that the assistant director of the navigation safety sector and the manager of search and rescue operations at sea are responsible for organizational and operational tasks, this means that Mr. Lukšić to continue to participate in search and rescue actions at sea, and bearing in mind his experience, professionalism and contribution to UPSUL's work so far, it is certain that he remains in the team because the service headed by Mr. Lukšić is vital for the work of the Administration, and his expertise and experience are important. The only position to which he could be appointed in the Board is the position of secretary, i.e. dealing with administrative tasks, which, in our opinion, is not suitable for the position he covers, i.e. for the skills, competences and experience he has", explained the MSP- a.

Completely absurd, the first task of NOTS is to "monitor the implementation, improve and propose amendments to the National Plan for Search and Rescue at Sea", and that very Plan, according to the MSP, did not allow the most professional and experienced person to join NOTS Montenegro has in that area. MSP explains that Darinka Joksimović was appointed NOTS secretary, "she is employed by UPSUL as an independent advisor and in the Department for the Protection of the Sea from Pollution from Vessels, which places her in the expert staff of the Administration", and that she has over 20 years of work experience. "on the most complex tasks and jobs".

"Joksimović showed excellent results in the preparation of the two-year reporting on the implementation of the Barcelona Convention protocol, which further indicates that she is also capable of reporting duties, which is also one of the duties of the secretary of the Committee... Given the nature of the work of the secretary of the Committee who , among other things, includes keeping minutes of sessions and meetings, distribution of materials to board members, coordination of meetings, communication between board members, preparation of reports on board activities, we believe that for the above it is necessary to have quality references in the administrative part of the business, and that operational references in the part of the search and rescue itself, they are not of crucial importance, because specifically it is a job that involves administration, and not search and rescue at the operational level", explained the MSP that there is a place in NOTS for a UPSUL employee who it works in the office, but not for someone who has been at sea for almost 30 years in practice doing what NOTS should be doing.

Husić sent himself to the USA for training

"Vijesti" sources claim that the new director of UPSUL, Haris Husić (PES), who was appointed at the end of last year, is allegedly intent on minimizing the role and influence of some of his closest and most experienced associates in the most responsible positions in UPSUL, such as Lukšić and the assistant director for the Sector for ship announcements and technical maintenance dr Nexhata Kapidania. According to these claims, Husić inexplicably and unnecessarily takes on some of the tasks that his subordinates should be dealing with, so at the end of March he personally attended a multi-day professional training in the USA organized by the American Coast Guard for representatives of several Montenegrin state institutions on topics related to the security protection of ships and ports, inspection supervision, customs controls in ports and on ships.

Husić sent himself, not the assistant director of the UPSUL for the Port Management Sector, to the training regarding the application of the ISPS Convention on the Security of Ships and Ports Vladimir Stjepčević although Stjepčević and not Husić is a member of the National Commission for ISPS in Montenegro and by the nature of the position he holds, he is much more involved in the application of the ISPS code in Montenegrin ports.

"MSP approached UPSUL with the initiative to appoint one representative from its ranks. By the way, Mr. In his professional career, Husić has many years of experience as a ship safety officer, as well as valid certificates in that field, which is why we considered that, in accordance with his current position, his presence at the visit to the US Coast Guard was of great importance for the further implementation of the ISPS code in Montenegro. ", explains this paradox from the Ministry of the Interior, although the application of the ISPS code on ships, which Husić did while he was the first officer of the deck sailing on the company "Dabinović", is much less complicated than the application of that convention in ports.

The MSP noted that in the visit to the USA, as a member of the delegation from Montenegro, "Vladan Radonjic as a member of the National Commission for ISPS in Montenegro."

"Due to the limited number of seats, we tried to include as many relevant institutions as possible in the delegation, such as the Customs Administration, the Police Administration, etc., so that the institutions were invited to nominate one member each, all with the aim of including as many institutions as possible in the implementation of ISPS code in Montenegro. For this reason, one member, Mr. Radonjić, was in front of the National Commission for ISPS", they pointed out from the MSP.

UPSUL as a Husić family company

The MSP confirmed to "Vijesta" that in addition to director Haris Husić, two other members of that family - Husić's mother and sister - work at UPSUL, as well as that Husić's father also worked in that Administration before.

"Family members of Mr. Husić's mother since 2005, and sister since 2021. Given that Mr. Husić was appointed in December 2023, it is clear to conclude that they were already in an employment relationship before his appointment as acting official. As for the father of Mr. Husić, otherwise one of the leading experts in the field of maritime telecommunications, it is true that he was employed in the Administration since its establishment, and even before its establishment in the then "Plovput", which is the predecessor of UPSUL, and his employment in the Administration has ended in 2016," said the MSP.

They did not comment on whether it was appropriate to appoint as the director of UPSUL someone who already has two immediate family members working in that state institution, as well as on the request that Minister Radulović announce his personal position on this, that is, say whether he is aware of a similar employment practice family members and closest relatives in a state body or company in the USA where the minister was educated and built most of his professional career so far.