The Public Company for Coastal Zone Management, specifically its Maritime and Coastal Transport Sector, which operates the ferry line in the Bay of Kotor, announced yesterday the initiation of tenders for the refurbishment of three vessels in its fleet.

The ferries in question are “Grbalj”, “Teodo”, and “Perast”, which are nearing the expiration of their current seaworthiness certificates. To ensure the renewal of their navigation permits, these ships must undergo regular maintenance and dry-dock hull inspections at the shipyard, a process that occurs biennially during docking.

The total estimated cost for the repairs of all three ferries is 800,000 euros, as per the tender details from Morsko dobro. Recently, the management of the Maritime and Coastal Transport Sector expressed concerns over delays caused by the Government’s late appointment of the director of Morsko dobro. This has hindered timely fleet preparations for the upcoming season, as no authorized personnel were able to sign necessary business documentation, including the tenders for the three ferries, which need to be completed before the peak summer season. Last week, the Government re-appointed Mladena Mikielja as the director of this state-owned enterprise.

The refurbishment for the “Teodo” ferry, which includes standard dock work for cleaning the underwater hull, as well as maintenance on propellers, shafts, rudders, and valves, ship ironwork on boarding ramps, pump and engine servicing, and anti-corrosion protection along with hull painting, has been budgeted at 149,000 euros excluding VAT. The repairs on the “Teodo” are expected to take a maximum of 25 days. Bids are to be submitted by April 11, with an opening scheduled on that date. The same 25-day work period is also projected for the refurbishment of the “Grbalj,” which will undergo the same maintenance as the “Teodo.” This year, the “Grbalj” will also have a thorough servicing of its main engines, making it a more costly endeavor, with a tender estimated at 360,000 euros excluding VAT. Bids for the “Grbalj” overhaul are due until April 28, with an opening on that day.

The smallest vessel, the “Perast,” will incur the lowest refurbishment cost of 95,000 euros excluding VAT. This will cover standard docking and work on propellers, shafts, rudders, and valves, as well as anti-corrosion protection, hull painting, and replacing over one ton of worn-out sheet metal on the ferry deck. The “Perast” overhaul is projected to last a maximum of 22 days. In preparation for the main season, the ferries “Perast,” “Kamenari,” “Lepetane,” “Teodo,” and “Igalo” will also receive new protective PVC awnings over the passenger areas on the deck, for which a separate tender has been released, with an estimated total value of 13,000 euros including VAT.

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