The final conference of the project "Construction of the ferry dock in the port of Kaprije" was held on Friday, June 30, at the House of Art Arsen in Šibenik. The conference welcomed the director of the Navigation Safety Administration, Capt. Siniša Orlić from the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, Šibenik-Knin Prefect, Marko Jelić, Ph.D., Deputy Mayor of the City of Šibenik Danijel Mileta, and partners and contributors on the project from the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, the Central Finance and Contracting Agency (CFCA), the Agency for Coastal Line Maritime Transport, as well as members of the Local Board of Kaprije.
The conference was preceded by a tour of the new ferry dock 700 meters northwest of the center of Kaprije, organized by the Port Authority of Šibenik-Knin County, which implemented the 3.2 million euro project. During the tour, the new 55 m long and 6 m wide dock, adapted for larger ships with a deeper draft that are more resistant to bad weather conditions, was presented to the attendees. For the people of Kaprije, the reduced possibility of interruptions to the connection with Šibenik means a stronger link with the mainland and other islands of the Šibenik archipelago.
Since the dockside zone in the center of town is tiny, the docking of a ferry on the waterfront would cause traffic congestion and communal problems. The position of the new pier was therefore determined by the need to reduce traffic congestion in the port area and the center of Kaprije. A manipulation platform for transshipment of goods, boasting an area of 2,300 m2, was constructed along the pier.
Example of good use of EU funds and institutional cooperation
The ferry dock construction project began on June 25, 2020, with the signing of the Grant Agreement between the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, the Central Finance and Contracting Agency (CFCA) and the Port Authority of Šibenik-Knin County. Two years of work culminated with a technical inspection and obtaining a use permit for the ferry dock on May 2, 2023.
The total value of the project is 3.2 million euros, of which 2.7 million euros was provided from the EU Cohesion Fund, while the rest was financed by the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure from the state budget.
At the conference, Prefect of Šibenik-Knin County, Marko Jelić, Ph.D. announced the continuation of investments in the island’s infrastructure and pointed out that projects like this one on Kaprije are prerequisites for raising the quality of life on the islands. The construction of the ferry dock in the port of Kaprije is one of 25 port infrastructure improvement projects financed through the Operational Programme Competitiveness and Cohesion 2014 – 2020. Their total value is 165 million euros, and they received support of more than 152 million euros in grants.