Ecological disaster looms on Hvar as cruise ships pollute seas

Croatian media reported that the island of Hvar on the Adriatic coast is facing an ecological disaster. "Cruise ships are turning its beaches into cesspools," warns Slobodna Dalmacija.

Journalists from the Croatian daily highlight a severe problem. Although the Adriatic Sea has been recognized by the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships as a special ecological area, and the season is just beginning, significant water pollution is occurring again this year. The issue involves the discharge of sewage and other waste from cruise ships, which arrive there in large numbers.

"We warned about this problem several times last year, but nothing has been done in the meantime. The areas around Hvar are being flooded with faeces and cooking oil with food waste, dumped from cruise ships passing near the island," says Veljko Drinković, a worker in the tourism industry of the Adriatic island, in an interview with "Slobodna Dalmacija".

"It happens that in the morning, we enjoy the crystal-clear blue sea, and already in the afternoon, due to sea currents, the water turns brown," adds Veljko Drinković.

Hoteliers and other entrepreneurs dependent on tourism are calling on the Croatian authorities to check how ship crews dispose of sewage and punish those violating the regulations.

According to people in the tourism industry, a system for collecting this type of waste must be created and adhered to first and foremost. "There's nothing more effective than hitting the pockets of those who are turning our world's most beautiful beaches into cesspools," stresses the interlocutors of the Croatian "Slobodna Dalmacija".