Marina Preko, Croatia

Much has been made about Croatia's crystal clear waters and we very much hope they stay that way for generations to come. However, if that's to be the case, Croatia needs more enlightened marinas such as Marina Preko, who has just installed one of the first integrated pump out systems in Croatia into its new marina on Ugljan Island.

Although the Croatian government has passed legislation on the dumping of nautical waste, few marinas offer much other than the possibility of arranging a tanker on request. It's therefore not easy for nautical tourists to dispose of the waste in an ecologically friendly manner and so, unfortunately, much of it is still dumped at sea.

Marina Preko management talked to John Nash of Marina Facility Solutions, based near Split, at an early stage of the marina's development plans and, with the help of Pump Out specialists, Lee Sanitation, who John represents in Croatia, came up with the perfect solution for Marina Preko.

For most of the five years he has spent in Croatia, John has been endeavouring to encourage marina owners to install integrated pump out systems more widely. "Not only are they essential to the sustainability of first class nautical tourism in Croatia, but the cost is more affordable than many marina owners believe". John explains "most ethically and ecologically minded nautical tourists value the service and have no objection to paying marinas a fair price for using the system."

After studying the details of the installation, Gary Sutcliffe, operations director of LeeSan, specified the new LeeStrom LS60W pump out unit, which is capable of pumping 60 l/min with its 750W motor. This unit offers a suction height of up to 6m (pressure height 15m) with a horizontal discharge of up to 120m. Connections are (inlet) 1½" hose and discharge 2".

The system is connected to the new sewage network of Preko, developed two years ago. Presently there are about 50 marinas in Croatia serving 320 charter companies offering over 2600 vessels in their fleets. If this is added to several thousands of nautical tourists arriving with their private vessels and sailing along the Adriatic coast, it is easy to come to the conclusion that sea pollution from vessels is significant.

Although Government regulations for years now have been requiring that marinas should provide organised disposal of waste waters, to prevent their disposal into the sea, thereby further protecting the sea quality, unfortunately very few marinas can pride themselves that they offer such a service.

Since a large percentage of the GDP originates from nautical tourism, where crystal clear sea is still being offered as the main attraction of sailing along the Croatian coast, this advantage needs to be preserved. The fact is that many nautical tourists still do not request this service, simply because they are not familiar enough with its availability in the marinas. Most charter vessels have waste-water tanks, but because of impossibility of pumping out the contents at places provided for this on shore, they empty their tanks into the sea.

Led by ecological awareness, the country now wants to develop its marina to meet the world's highest standards, particularly preserving the sea quality. However, such awareness needs to be developed with other marinas as well, to make this service standard.

Jeff Houlgrave, the Operations Director of Jupiter Adria, in charge of the Marina Sector, comments. “By introducing this service not only will we decrease sea pollution, but also support a sustainable development and improve the Croatian tourist experience, making it an ecologically aware nautical destination.”

Marina Preko is situated on the beautiful Dalmatian island of Ugljan. It is a new marina destination in Croatia’s best sailing area. Latitude: 44° 04.9N Longitude: 15° 11.6E

Right in the middle of the stunningly beautiful Dalmatian Coast, Marina Preko provides the delights of an island, yet has easy access to other anchorages in waters sheltered by the other islands, providing a wonderful location for ‘island hopping’.

Marina Preko offers secure berthing surrounded by modern facilities, in an attractive small town on the north-east facing coast of the island of Ugljan. The new marina, which opened in the Spring, offers 87 berths up to 20m LOA and a small number of exclusive transient berths for Superyachts up to 60m LOA.