Feasibility study, preparation of the project, technical assistance and preparation of the tender for the construction of the CVTMIS national system (Croatian Vessel Traffic Management and Information System) for monitoring vessel traffic in Croatia, as part of a Europeaid – Phare 2005 project. The CVTMIS system, through the continuous monitoring of vessel traffic along the east coast of the Adriatic Sea and in accordance with European Directive 2002/59/EC establishing a Community vessel traffic monitoring and information system, will increase navigation safety, while improving the efficiency of the use of port facilities, and at the same time will reduce the risk of accidents and their consequences on the environment. The CVTMIS system proposed is based on radar sensors with high sensitivity, radio direction finder, remote control cameras, AIS devices, weather stations, located along the coast for traffic monitoring, a national operations centre and several regional centres, all integrated with the existing port systems in major Croatian ports (such as Rijeka, Ploče and Split) and with existing European systems (SSN – SafeSeaNet). In addition to the technical aspects, the definition of the organizational structure, the planning of the system and the definition of the requirements of human resources have been dealt with. Moreover, the existing international legal instruments, both European and Croatian applicable to VTMIS services, have been analyzed in a preliminary manner to the preparation of recommendations and possible amendments to the Croatian legislation.
