Croatia’s legendary ‘Tijat’ ship to be saved
- by croatiaweek
- in News
Tijat (Photo credit: Remi Jouan/Multi-license with GFDL and Creative Commons CC-BY-SA-2.5 and older versions (2.0 and 1.0/(CC BY 3.0)
The legendary ‘Tijat’ Jadrolinija boat retired after an impressive 68 years of service this summer.
The ‘Tijat’ holds legendary status in Croatia. Built in 1955 at the Split shipyard, it was one of the oldest ferries that has navigated the Adriatic coast.
Named after an uninhabited island located southwest of Vodice and west of Prvić, the ship has been an integral part of the Šibenik – Zlarin – Prvić Luka – Šepurine – Vodice route for over six decades. In July, the ‘Tijat’ docked at the Zlarin pier for the last time.
The Tijat, will be handed over to the Šibenik-Knin County
Tijat will be temporarily moored but with Šibenik as its homeport, and the plan is for it to arrive in Šibenik tomorrow under the flag of the city of Šibenik.
Funding for its restoration needs to be secured, and there are already plans in place, especially from EU funds.
It is too early to speak about the timeline for the ship’s restoration, but it will definitely happen,” Saša Jurat told Morski HR.
A crew needs to be secured, and a permanent berth has already been provided by the Šibenik-Knin County Port Authority. So far, everyone has rallied to save the ship, and this has yielded positive results.
Tijat will be owned by the Županija Šibenik-Knin County and will be given the symbolic name “Peta tvrđava” (Fifth Fortress). It will serve as a ship museum, sailing to the Šibenik islands, transporting tourists and guests, and it is not excluded that it might occasionally join the regular route,” Jurat explained.
(Photo credit: Remi Jouan/Multi-license with GFDL and Creative Commons CC-BY-SA-2.5 and older versions (2.0 and 1.0)
There are many plans in the works, but for now, we will celebrate its return on Wednesday. The true celebration will be when the renovated ship, with its crew, embarks on its first voyage.
Tijat will depart for Šibenik at 5:00 AM on Wednesday, where the people of Šibenik will warmly welcome it around 6:00 PM, and its berth is waiting for it in front of the bus station.
