Croatia Travel Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Marko Polo’

Jadrolinija just published the coastal ferry schedule for the first half of 2010. Most notable is the introduction of the ferry “Dubrovnik” for the weekend route between Split, Dubrovnik and Bari, Italy. Introduced in April to replace the damaged Marko Polo, the Dubrovnik is  faster and will shave 40minutes from the Hvar-Korcula leg. The downside is that, for the first time, passengers (and their cars) will have to change ferries at Split since the Liburnija will continue to run between Rijeka and Split. At least for now. Jadrolinija has been thrown for a loop by the Marko Polo problem. Perhaps when the ferry is repaired she can go back to work on the coastal route? Stay tuned.

See the newest coastal ferry timetable here.

The pride of Jadrolinija’s fleet is the jumbo Marko Polo ferry, that plies Croatia’s coastal route from Rijeka to Dubrovnik twice a week. On the night of October 24, the ship’s course was abruptly halted when it ran aground near the island of Sit in the Sibenik archipelago. The accident was attributed to crew error (those guys are in BIG trouble) but the question was: what to do with the Marko Polo?

It turns out that it will cost about $4 million to re-float the stranded 128-meter long ferry and the ferry was way under-insured. Whoops.  Selling the ship for scrap metal could bring in up to $900,000. Plus, the coastal ferry has been a money-losing venture ever since new highway construction has made it faster and cheaper to drive from Rijeka down the coast.

The Marko Polo was considered a giant leap forward when it was introduced into the Jadrolinija fleet in 1973. Although the 1970′s style decoration has dated a bit, it remains a remarkably comfortable boat that still holds a special place in the Croatian consciousness.

So, no it won’t be scrapped, says Jadrolinija. On 20 November it will be lugged over to Mali Losinj for repairs, ready to resume service next year.

See more about Croatia ferries.

Marko Polo