We visited the construction site of the new passenger terminal in the Split port! Here’s what it’s all about.
The new passenger terminal is a major infrastructure project aimed at improving capacity and services for passengers in Croatia’s largest maritime passenger port. The terminal is located on the breakwater, on the site of the former "Jadranribolov" warehouse, and will border the external cruise ship berths. The terminal will cover an area of nearly 3,000 square meters, with 1,500 square meters dedicated to public space for passengers. Since the terminal will include a Schengen border crossing, meaning an area for passenger and luggage control, certain parts of the terminal will be occupied by the police and customs.
Given that Split Port has seen an average annual growth of passengers and vehicles of around 5% over the past 20 years, the new maritime-passenger terminal is certainly necessary for the city of Split. The goal of the Port Authority is to transfer all international traffic from Gaženica to the breakwater, which, according to the words of Port Authority Director Vice Mihanović, remains underutilized for most of the year. "With this move, islanders will gain five new berths and 14,000 square meters of additional operational space, which has been locked for about 300 days a year due to international traffic regulations," stated Director Mihanović.
Additionally, the new terminal will undoubtedly improve traffic flow in the City Port, reduce waiting times, enhance the passenger experience, improve the appearance of the port and the city of Split, and enable better organization of international traffic. It is important to emphasize that with better traffic flow and reduced waiting times, positive impacts on environmental protection and the fight against climate change are also expected, as well as the creation of prerequisites for increased safety in the Port of Split.
The project is included in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan 2021-2026, demonstrating the support of European funds for the development of Croatian infrastructure. The project’s value exceeds 17 million euros. Nearly 6.7 million euros are secured from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, while the remaining funds for the project are provided by the Government of the Republic of Croatia from the state budget. The works are expected to be completed by June 2025.
