ZAGREB, Dec 6 (Hina) - The St Nicholas Day, December 6, is also marked as the Day of Seamen. On that occasion, Croatian Maritime, Transportation and Communication Minister Ivan Pavlovic presented Certificates of Homeland Gratefulness
and Vukovar Medals to 33 seamen awarded by Croatian President Franjo Tudjman. Pavlovic stressed that the Ministry was doing everything in its power to help the shipbuilding industry to get out of this difficult situation. "The situation in the Croatian shipbuilding industry is not the consequence of labour, nor this Ministry and the Government, but long-term business decisions of companies' administrations, the situation in shipbuilding market, the globalisation as the general state, the disappearance of the market of the former state and other reasons which Croatia could not have influenced", the Minister said. He stressed that the Ministry and the state must ensure funds for salaries of seamen, given tha
ZAGREB, Dec 6 (Hina) - The St Nicholas Day, December 6, is also
marked as the Day of Seamen. On that occasion, Croatian Maritime,
Transportation and Communication Minister Ivan Pavlovic presented
Certificates of Homeland Gratefulness and Vukovar Medals to 33
seamen awarded by Croatian President Franjo Tudjman.
Pavlovic stressed that the Ministry was doing everything in its
power to help the shipbuilding industry to get out of this difficult
situation.
"The situation in the Croatian shipbuilding industry is not the
consequence of labour, nor this Ministry and the Government, but
long-term business decisions of companies' administrations, the
situation in shipbuilding market, the globalisation as the general
state, the disappearance of the market of the former state and other
reasons which Croatia could not have influenced", the Minister
said.
He stressed that the Ministry and the state must ensure funds for
salaries of seamen, given that they are not at fault for the
situation in the Croatian shipbuilding industry. Pavlovic added
that the Government had already approved a series of guarantees to
Croatian shipowners for foreign loans, and offered direct help for
their survival on world's market.
In the upcoming period, nine ships, worth US$190 million, are to be
built in domestic shipyards, Pavlovic said. The modernisation of
harbours, amounting to about US$75 million, as well as the
continuation of equipping and modernising harbour master's offices
is also to take place in the near future.
At a ceremony of the celebration of the Seamen Day, marked on the St
Nicholas day --the patron saint of seamen, also presented was the
traditional award of "The Vjesnik Blue Ribbon" for achievements
realised by Croatian seamen.
In the individual competition, "The Vjesnik Blue Ribbon" was
awarded to Damir Badzin, who rescued three members of the sunken
ship of "Borak" near the central Adriatic island of Obonjan on
October 21, 1999.
The "Sveti Vlaho" ship crew, under the command of captain Blago
Milasevic received "The Vjesnik Blue Ribbon" in the team category.
The crew rescued seven local fishermen whose boat was caught on fire
and sunk near Cape Tajvan on May 14, 1999.
This Year's "Vjesnik Blue Ribbon" for the protection of the sea and
coast was awarded to Nena Nosalj-Persic and Sandra Pribanic from
the northern Adriatic island of Veli Losinj. Nosalj-Persic and
Pribanic are the heads of the programme in the "Adriatic Dolphin
Project".
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