The situation with safety at sea in the waters of the Bay of Kotor and in the open sea zone off the southeastern coast of the Luštica peninsula is even worse this season than last year.
This was assessed by the NGO Ecological Society of Boka Kotorska from Herceg Novi, which specifically pointed out the extremely poor condition of one of the greatest natural attractions, the famous Blue Cave on the coast of the open sea in the Herceg Novi part of Luštica.
"This summer, the Blue Cave is under even greater pressure from ship traffic of all possible categories of vessels that can physically enter it. There is no maneuvering control or warning about turning off the engine, which results in the release of harmful substances into the sea, combustion products. At the same time, there are seven or eight boats in the Blue Cave with dozens of passengers and swimmers. There is still no safety control at sea, which should be carried out by the maritime safety service, which was discussed at the session of the Herceg Novi Municipal Assembly in September 2024," warned the Ecological Society.
Due to its attractiveness and extraordinary beauty, the Blue Cave is one of the most sought-after places for excursions with small boats and fast tourist speedboats, and tourists especially like to swim in it in the turquoise blue sea, which is made so by the specific play of light in the cave in the coastal cliffs. This is why the Blue Cave, which no one officially cares about, although it should be primarily the JP Morsko dobro, is very busy and exposed to various forms of devastation that culminated in August last year when still unknown perpetrators, with hammers and maces, destroyed part of the cave jewelry on the walls of the cave, on which panels were placed for temporary mooring of vessels that stay in the cave for a short time.
Although the Ecological Society of Boka Kotorska reported this devastation to the police at the time, the perpetrators have not been discovered to this day, and the poor condition and daily chaos in this attractive natural resource continue this summer.
"The major problems in the Blue Cave in 2025 are even greater than last summer. The authorities, local and state, have once again deceived the public by neglecting this acute problem of passenger and vessel safety and the protection of the valuable, rare object of the Blue Cave. Our proposal to place the Blue Cave and other caves along the Luštica coast under protection, as well as the protection of the entire coastal strip from Cape Arza to Cape Kočište, which was supported at the September session of the Herceg Novi Municipal Council in 2024, and was supposed to be forwarded to the Environmental Protection Agency for inclusion in protected areas, and thus under the care of the state, has obviously fallen by the wayside. If the authorities do not care about natural values, does someone need to pay with their lives for the authorities to become aware and understand the seriousness of the situation," the Ecological Society of Boka Kotorska asked.
They state that, although the peak season has not yet begun, last weekend, when the first large wave of tourists arrived in Boka, it was clear that the situation at sea, despite the promises of the authorities, had not changed much for the better.
"The occupation of the waters of the Bay of Kotor by various types of vessels, from yachts, speedboats, smaller and larger boats and cruisers, is significantly greater than last summer. The situation at sea is alarming. The moorings and waters in Žanjice, Mirište and Arza are overcrowded. Anchoring is done as it suits someone, and not as dictated by the rules of conduct at sea. It often happens that yachts throw various impurities into the sea, including excrement. The impudence of the speedboats reaches its maximum; they drive close to the coast at speeds above the permitted speed, they make fun of the boats with passengers from Žanjice, when they pass only a few meters away, demonstrating their superiority, as a result of which they create waves and force the boats to suddenly change direction, adapting to the need for safe movement in the wavy sea. This endangers the safety of passengers, both in the boats and in the speedboats themselves. It is a real miracle that there have been no serious incidents and collisions so far," said the president of the Ecological Society of Boka Kotorska Olivera Doklestic.
On the other hand, Maritime Affairs Minister Filip Radulović claims that the competent state authorities are active and doing everything they can to improve the maritime safety situation in Boka Bay.
"We are continuing with increased controls of maritime traffic because we want safety at sea. Today, maritime safety inspectors inspected 32 vessels under the jurisdiction of the Kotor Port Authority. 12 misdemeanor warrants and eight verbal warnings were issued," Radulović said on Sunday evening in a post on the social network Iks. He said that "regulations should be respected, because safety has no alternative."
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