The firefighting efforts on the luxury motor yacht “Ramonda”, which caught fire on Thursday around 6 PM under circumstances that are still officially unclear, concluded late last night. The remnants of the destroyed “Ramonda” were towed from Kumbor to the Adriatic 42 shipyard in Bijela.

The wreck is now secured at the operational shore and enclosed by a floating dam designed to prevent any potential leakage of oil, fuel, or other harmful substances from the remains of the 30-meter-long and seven-meter-wide fiberglass yacht into the surrounding waters.

Sources from “Vijesti” reveal that today, navigation safety inspector Captain Grujica Dudić issued a decree prohibiting any attempts to remove the “Ramonda” wreck for land-based handling or dismantling until the Maritime Safety and Port Management Administration (UPSUL), the Kotor Harbour Master’s Office, and the Ministry of Maritime Affairs provide a statement regarding the situation, per their jurisdiction.

This prohibition is largely due to the fact that the wreck currently poses an environmental risk, as the destroyed yacht still contains approximately 8,000 liters of diesel fuel and a considerable amount of oil in its engines.

Since the structural stability of the remaining hull has been significantly compromised by the fire, any attempt to lift the vessel ashore using the travel lift at the Adriatic 42 shipyard could result in the wreck disintegrating, potentially causing fuel and oil spills and leading to an ecological disaster.

Thus, the Navigation Safety Inspectorate insists that all necessary precautions be taken to pump out the remaining fuel from the wreck. It calls upon UPSUL, the Port Authority, and the Ministry of Maritime Affairs to devise appropriate measures regarding the future handling of the luxury yacht’s remains, which was valued at around 10 million euros just days ago.

The yacht, registered under the flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines with its port of registration in Kingstown, is owned by the Belgrade-based company “Millennium Team” doo and was only two years old.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire aboard the yacht docked at the elite Portonovi marina, focusing on the crew’s actions, notably as there were no crew members present when the fire erupted.

Additionally, the response to extinguishing the fire and attempting to save the burning yacht revealed several deficiencies and poor coordination among the national emergency response chain—ranging from delayed notifications to UPSUL, the absence of the Administration’s director and the Kotor port captain during the rescue operation, unclear command structures for salvage efforts by on-site commanders, tepid responses from the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, a complete lack of action from the National Committee for Search and Rescue at Sea, to the undue burden of the firefighting operation falling on the Herceg Novi Municipal Protection and Rescue Service, which lacks the proper equipment and training for such complex ship firefighting scenarios.

This incident starkly highlights how, despite claims from the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Montenegro is still lagging behind in meeting the standards and efficiency expected of genuine maritime nations in effectively addressing and managing the aftermath of serious sea emergencies.

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