Ministry of Maritime Affairs: Despite the warning, 18 boats were found in the waters in front of the Blue Cave

The Ministry of Maritime Affairs expressed regret over several maritime accidents and incidents that have occurred in recent days on the Montenegrin coast and on Lake Skadar, emphasizing that because of this, the competent inspections of that ministry and other state bodies will further intensify controls and uncompromisingly sanction any violation of regulations and irresponsible behavior at sea and on the lake.

"Regarding the serious maritime accident that occurred on July 11 in the waters in front of the Blue Cave, in which a British citizen suffered serious injuries after contact with the propeller of a speedboat, as well as previous serious maritime accidents on Slovenska Beach in Budva and on Lake Skadar, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs expresses its regret for all those injured and wishes them a speedy and successful recovery. All of the aforementioned maritime accidents are the subject of investigations conducted by the competent authorities in order to determine all the facts and circumstances under which they occurred," the ministry headed by Minister Filip Radulović (PES) announced today.

They assessed that these events "once again confirm that navigation safety regulations must be consistently observed and that irresponsible behavior at sea can have serious consequences for human life and health."

They remind that precisely due to the increased intensity of maritime traffic during the tourist season, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs adopted a new Regulation on Navigation Safety, Reporting and Management of Maritime Traffic, which established speed limits, navigation corridors and special navigation regimes in locations with increased risk, including the Bay of Kotor, the waters in front of the Blue Cave, the Bojana River, Lake Skadar and other frequent zones.

At the same time, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, in cooperation with the Port Authorities, the Navigation Safety Inspectorate, the Maritime Safety Administration (MSA) and the Police Administration, conducts daily enhanced controls at sea and inland waters.

As they stated, these controls resulted in the recording of 52 violations in the field of maritime navigation safety in the period from July 1 to 12; fines totaling 44.400 euros were imposed, and 20 boat operating licenses were additionally revoked, "whereas misdemeanor proceedings will be conducted against these persons before the competent Port Authorities, which is why they are not included in the aforementioned statistics."

"These data confirm that the competent services conduct intensive surveillance on a daily basis and that any established violation will be prosecuted in accordance with the law. Controls were additionally intensified on July 13, when joint teams from the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, the Maritime Safety Administration, Port Authorities and the Police Administration were deployed in the area of ​​the Bay of Kotor, Budva, the open sea and inland waters. On that occasion, more than 90 vessels were controlled," the Ministry of Maritime Affairs announced, adding that on the National Day holiday alone, 32 new violations were registered, 25 summonses were handed out, 24 boat operating licenses were revoked, and two unregistered scooters were removed from traffic.

"It is particularly worrying that, despite the serious maritime accident that occurred just two days ago in the waters in front of the Blue Cave, a large number of vessels are still gathering at that location. Namely, the Maritime Operations Center warned all small vessels via VHF radio announcements during the day not to set sail into the open sea due to adverse weather conditions. Despite this warning, as many as 18 boats were found in the waters in front of the Blue Cave, which clearly shows that some participants in maritime traffic continue to ignore warnings from the competent services and basic navigation safety rules," the Ministry stated, emphasizing that such behavior "represents a serious risk to the safety of passengers, swimmers and all other participants in maritime traffic, especially considering that a British citizen was seriously injured at the same location just two days ago."

"The latest maritime accident was not a result of a lack of regulations, but of their non-compliance. That is why the Ministry of Maritime Affairs will continue with daily intensified controls, with zero tolerance for all forms of irresponsible behavior at sea," the Ministry of Maritime Affairs said, emphasizing that they are finalizing amendments to the Maritime Safety Act "which will further tighten criminal provisions and introduce new measures to improve navigation safety."

"The aim of the proposed changes is to strengthen preventive action, more efficient supervision of recreational vessels and greater responsibility of all participants in maritime traffic. The Ministry of Maritime Affairs once again appeals to all owners and managers of vessels to respect the prescribed speed limits, navigation corridors, warnings from competent services and other navigation safety rules. Human life has no price. The latest maritime accidents represent a serious warning that no regulation can prevent an accident if it is not respected," concluded the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, adding that they will continue "with the decisive implementation of regulations and additional tightening of measures in order to raise navigation safety in Montenegro to an even higher level."