Islanders have priority when boarding the ferry twice a day this season

The Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure has announced that the pilot project of an organized vehicle boarding championship for islanders - individuals - on the Valbiska - Merag ferry line is continuing.

As stated in the letter received by the portal Local Croatia "Following the successfully implemented pilot phase during the 2025 tourist season, which confirmed its justification and positive impact on the transport connectivity of the residents of the islands of Cres and Lošinj, the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure has made a decision to continue the implementation of the project in question in 2026.".

The project will be implemented in the period from July 1st to September 15th 2026. Priority boarding will apply, as last year, twice a day: on the morning departure from Mergo at 8:30 a.m. and on the afternoon departure from Valbiska at 18:15 p.m.

New sheet states that he is the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure Oleg Butkovic sent an instruction to the Agency for Coastal Line Maritime Transport, the county port authorities of Cres and Krk, and the shipping company Jadrolinija for the implementation of a pilot project of an organized boarding championship for islanders' vehicles - natural persons - on the Valbiska - Merag ferry line during the upcoming tourist season.

"The Ministry welcomes the pilot project in question, which emerged from the joint cooperation of the local community and educational institutions, as well as the efforts aimed at improving the quality of life of the island population. Improving transport connections between the island and the mainland is one of the priorities of the Ministry, and any measure that contributes to better accessibility and a balance between the needs of the island population and the sustainability of the public transport system, such as the pilot project in question, is supported by this Ministry.", reads the introductory part of the instructions, Novi list reports.

The project implementation lead is the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, in cooperation with the County Port Authorities of Cres and Krk, the Agency for Coastal Line Maritime Transport and the shipping company Jadrolinija.

The ministry brought the instruction to the attention of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County and the cities of Cres and Mali Lošinj, whose mayors Marin Gregorović and Ana Kučić stated last year that it would be good to continue the project this year, and requested its expansion to the rest of the year, as well as the ferry line Porozina - Brestova. According to the minister's decision, for now the project remains within last year's framework.

According to Novi list, the minister's letter was also received by the professor Sonja Pokupec Salković and students who take the optional subject School and Community at the Cres Gymnasium. It was they who, as part of their school Ferry Project, after a series of discussions with local, county and state officials, achieved what no one else had managed to achieve so far - that the residents of the Cres-Lošinj archipelago have priority boarding the ferry during the months when it is most crowded.

"The advantage of boarding a ferry is not a luxury but a necessity, a vital need for all islanders. We hope that the pilot project will grow beyond the test phase and expand to all islands that have the appropriate infrastructure in ferry ports.", said Professor Sonja Pokupec Salković after the publication of the minister's instructions.