After 68 years of service, the revered Croatian ship Tijat may be brought into dry dock by state-run ferry company Jadrolinija. Built in the Split shipyard in 1955, this foot-passenger workhorse has lived through many eras in Croatia’s history, from Tito to the package-tourism days, to the War of Independence and the recent boom on the coast.
Currently, the Tijat pootles between the main Dalmatian town of Šibenik and the islands of Zlarin and Prvić, then back to Vodice on the coast, passing the island after which it was named. The Tijat only has a licence valid until June 1, after which it is expected to be retired. A local campaign group, Tijat u srcu, ‘Tijat in the Heart’, is aiming to save the vessel and have it converted into Croatia’s first ship-museum.