July the 9th, 2025 – The Split storms that caused havoc yesterday have resulted in significant damage to boats and maritime infrastructure.
As Morski writes, the National Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre in Rijeka (MRCC Rijeka) has revealed more about the extent of the damage caused by yesterday’s Split storms.
The aforementioned Rijeka-based body informed the competent services of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure about the issues caused by a short but very violent in the wider Split area. Owing to this weather event, numerous vessel accidents and damage was reported. Fortunately, all of this occurred without casualties.
During the morning of the 8th of July at around 09:00, Split was struck by storms which were accompanied by gale-force winds. Strong hail and rain from the west affected the wider area of Split, while the Split Harbour Master’s Office and the County Information Centre received several distress calls. After the storm subsided, the Split Harbour Master’s Office reported on the activities undertaken, which included preventive measures to prevent pollution of the sea and the marine environment, the supervision of repair activities on damaged vessels and recording damage to the port infrastructure. All of the aforementioned was directly caused by the exceptionally strong transient storm that affected the wider Split area in the morning hours of that day.
In the Split City Port itself, the Jadrolinija ferry “Petar Hektorović” broke away from berth number 17. Carried by the winds, it hit the starboard side of the passenger ship “Kruna mora” (Crown of the sea) which sank shortly after due to the damage from the impact.
As the passenger ship sank into the depths as a result of the impact within a short time of the accident, members of the Voluntary Fire Department DVD Kašetela were deployed to the position. Given the fact that there was diesel fuel remaining in the ship’s tanks, a specialist company authorised to remove pollution from the sea and the marine environment was deployed to the site.
“Kruna mora” was moored sideways to another passenger ship named “Voyage” at the time of the accident. The damage which occurred was to the upper deck area on the starboard side, where the ship’s railing was also torn off and the glass in the saloon was broken. The owner of “Kruna mora” was ordered by LK Split to prepare for the recovery and towing of the ship, and for this purpose the owner hired a diving team to inspect the underwater damage to the vessel. Jadrolinija’s “Petar Hektorović” was also banned from sailing until the completion of the on-site inspection.
In the North Port of Split, the bulk carrier “Aya Evolution”, sailing under the flag of Liberia, broke away from its berth at berth number 5. The ship was safely returned to the berth with the assistance of a tugboat. On the shore of the North Port in the silo area, a loading and unloading crane collapsed into the sea, resulting in the berth being closed to traffic.
During the very violent Split storms, MRCC Rijeka and LK Split officers received numerous calls about damage to vessels and floating structures, as well as calls for help from crews of boats caught in the storm itself. The captain of a sailboat that was in the Brač Channel at the time the Split storms struck sent a call for help (MAYDAY), due to the danger of death for the five-member crew, including one child.
In direct communication with the captain, a broken mast and a malfunctioning propulsion engine were reported. Immediately upon receiving the report about the event, the Milna Harbour Master’s Office was notified, whose officers soon located and rescued the crew of the sailboat, evacuated them to a rescue boat, and transported the thankfully uninjured part safely to Split.
The next distress call to MRCC Rijeka was received a little later at 11:36 via the Coastal Radio Station ORP Split-radio. The caller was the captain of a boat with 6 crew members, who were left without a rudder and with a partial engine failure while sailing through the Hvar archipelago. The incident was reported to the Hvar Port Authority Branch and the PPAP Split Maritime and Airport Police Station.
Shortly afterwards, at 12:13, MRCC Rijeka was informed that all 6 crew members had been evacuated to a police boat without injury and were transported to safety. The damaged boat was taken back to shore by the employees of a company specialising in providing commercial assistance to crews and vessels at sea, which also successfully concluded this operation.
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