The group, consisting of 16 Palestinians and one Libyan, including five children, was found on board a remodelled fishing boat. All were transferred to a local police station, where they were examined by a physician. Sixteen migrants had documents of the Palestinian Authority and one woman had a Libyan passport.
The male passengers were transferred to the reception centre for illegal migrants at Jezevo near Zagreb and the women and children were taken to a former refugee camp in Sasna Greda near Sisak, police officials said.
The police in Dubrovnik have pressed charges against the migrants and a court decided to ban them from Croatia. Officials at the Ministry of the Interior believe they will seek asylum.
Police officials believe that the group's final destination was Italy, but their plan failed when the boat engine broke down and they came drifting to the islet off Dubrovnik. The starting point of their journey is not known.