With the opening of the new port, all ferries will be rerouted to Gazenica and only passenger vessels will be allowed into the old port in central Zadar.
Hajdas Doncic said that over a billion kuna had been invested in the new port, and that Zadar, thanks to its airport and many hotels, had a comparative advantage to become a home port for cruise ships.
Also opened was a temporary terminal building, which would be replaced by a permanent structure by the end of 2017. Hajdas Doncic said that the building would eventually be three times cheaper than planned, with 15 million euros saved.
Port Authority official Djani Stambuk announced that first cruise ships would dock in the new port as of April 24. He said that they expected 130,000 cruise ship passengers in 2016, or 50 per cent more than now.
The government invested in Gazenica port about 1.1 billion kuna financed through a loan from the European Investment Bank and the German Development Bank.
The implementation of the project was dogged by financial, political and technical problems. The cost of the terminal building was initially planned at 375 million kuna and was reduced to 5 million, as a result which a temporary container building was built.
The project included the construction of a 1,420-metre-long wharf with 12 ferry berths, a 300-metre-long wharf for a new fishing port and a 180-metre-long primary breakwater.