Ćalović for Radio Tivat: Electric Boats Are the Future, but Without Support There Is No Maritime Transport

The company EcoBoats continues the development of maritime transport in the Bay of Kotor through ecological, fully electric boats, but for the expansion of lines and the return of regular transport for citizens, support from local and state institutions is necessary, said the owner of the company, Vladimir Ćalović, while appearing on the program of Radio Tivat.

He said that the company currently has four electric boats, with the support of diesel-powered service boats that serve for operational support. He also announced a new project related to the adaptation of a hundred-year-old boat, which should be completely converted to 100 percent electric propulsion before 2026.

“Our boats are completely ecological, 100 percent electric. The future is in electric propulsion and we will continue in that direction with new generations of boats,” Ćalović said.

Speaking about the earlier project of connecting local places by maritime lines, Ćalović recalled that the company, with the support of the Municipality of Tivat, tried to establish regular lines that would primarily be used by citizens – students, employees and the local population. However, the attempt to connect Tivat, Krašići and Luštica did not take hold.

According to him, the ticket price was only two euros one way, but passenger interest was not at the expected level.

“Our ambition was to help the local population, but it seems that there was a certain habit among people to use cars instead of boats. The problem was not the price, but the acceptance of a new mode of transport,” Ćalović stated.

He added that the project is currently stopped until a new business model is found.

Ćalović pointed out that during work on the line toward Luštica Bay, the company had very high reliability in carrying out transport.

“Our boat availability was over 99 percent. We have data on every route and every ride,” he said.

As he explained, the problem was in the organization of departures.

“The sponsor of the program, Luštica Bay, determined the times according to its own needs. We had two early morning departures and two returns in the afternoon, while during the day there were no rides. We tried to introduce additional departures, but there was not enough flexibility,” Ćalović explained.

Speaking about navigation conditions in the Bay, the owner of EcoBoats emphasized that electric boats can sail safely even in more demanding weather conditions.

“The skipper is always the last one to decide whether to sail or not, because he is responsible for the safety of passengers,”

Still, according to the owner, the biggest challenge is not only the weather, but the lack of appropriate docking infrastructure.

“The problem is not bad weather, but infrastructure. We do not have enough adequate pontoons and docking places, especially in situations when the conditions are worse,” he explained.

He pointed out that the ecological effects of using electric boats are already measurable.

“For 2025, when we had boats operating for ten months, our calculations show that we reduced carbon dioxide emissions by around 600 tons,” he said.

However, the benefit is not only in reducing CO₂ emissions, but also in reducing sea pollution, noise and waves created by conventional boats.

Currently active are the Pine – Perast lines with a visit to Our Lady of the Rocks and Pine – Porto Novi, while the company is trying to develop additional models of connection with other locations in the Bay.

Ćalović especially highlighted the possibility of connecting the airport with water terminals and further transport of passengers toward Tivat and Herceg Novi.

During the pilot project at the beginning of June, during the Summit in Tivat, the company transported more than 1,300 passengers in two days.

“That was done free of charge, as an agreement with the municipality, and everyone was satisfied. However, it is necessary to establish appropriate conditions so that such a system could function in the long term,” the owner of the company pointed out.

Ćalović believes that maritime transport for citizens in the Bay cannot function solely on market grounds.

“If there is no subsidy from the Municipality of Tivat or the state, we cannot operate such lines. It is not clear to me why buses have subsidies, while electric boats cannot have them,” he said.

According to him, a change in the support system is needed so that electric boats receive treatment similar to electric cars.

“The purchase of an electric car has certain incentives, but electric boats do not. That needs to change if we want sustainable maritime transport,” he said.

Ćalović said that the company does not want to make big promises, but that there is readiness to return to the idea of regular maritime transport.

“This year for us is a period of consolidation and negotiations. We are ready to return to that idea that existed, but it is necessary to create the appropriate conditions,” concluded the owner of EcoBoats.

Zora Krstović