Croatia Plans Demanding Navy Modernisation

October the 29th, 2026 – Croatia is currently planning navy modernisation, with Rijeka’s 3 Maj shipyard wanting to take full control over this demanding project. The President of the Management Board of the 3 Maj shipyard, Roko Vuletić, said that the situation on the EU market is once again favourable for shipbuilding after very many years. Poslovni reports that Andrija Ljulj, from the University of Defence and Security “Dr. Franjo Tuđman” spoke to representatives of the shipbuilding industry recently. In doing so, he presented the long-term development plan and projects of the Croatian Navy (HRM) and invited them to get involved and participate in the process of modernisation. a boost for croatian shipbuilding The first and key project of the Croatian Navy is the procurement of two multipurpose corvettes, whose construction and outfitting is planned from 2025 to 2028, which is a short deadline for such a demanding project, Ljulj said at a conference entitled “Perspective of the Development of Croatian Shipbuilding in Kvarner” at the Faculty of Engineering in Rijeka. He hopes that the deadline will be met, with possible minor delays. Regarding the current status of the project, after obtaining information from 23 companies from around the world, and after collecting initial information, the Ministry of Defence (MORH) conducted an analysis of which of those projects could meet the requirements. After the selection of potential partners, in the second round of the tender final offers will be sought from those selected, which is expected very soon, and the decision is made by the Minister of Defence, he said. An unfinished project of coastal patrol vessels was also presented, in which two ships were built, and three remained unfinished after Brodosplit ran into financial problems. Captain of the battleship Andrija Ljulj mentioned that there were problems with financing and the increase in the cost of equipment, but also that the owner of the shipyard may not have been so open to cooperation in which that project would still be completed. MORH has taken legal steps to protect itself, and until the court proceedings are completed those three ships, finished to about 45 percent, will not be completed, he said, adding that it is possible that they will be finished at Brodosplit but also elsewhere. croatian navy modernisation implies modern unmanned systems The project of a mine countermeasures ship was abandoned and a switch was made to the procurement of unmanned systems for mine countermeasures, detection, identification and destruction of sea mines, which will be installed on the HRM ship Faust Vrančić. Given that this ship is quite old, the acquisition of a new ship of up to 60 metres is also being considered. One of the projects in the initial phase is the equipping of the HRM with new landing assault ships, and four such ships are planned from 2029 to 2034, Ljulj said. The fifth project is the development and production of maritime surface unmanned systems. He said that work is also being done on appropriate new training programmes and that the next step would be the realisation of concrete projects through cooperation with industry and scientific institutions. He added that individual companies have already presented their solutions. Regarding the overhaul and maintenance of ships, he noted that they were mainly carried out in the shipyards in Šibenik and Trogir and that after the modernisation of the HRM this part should also be expanded. In the discussion, it could be heard that the profession is ready, that there are technologies in design and in execution and that the processes that precede them need to be accelerated. the rijeka shipyard seeks to take control The President of the Management Board of the 3 Maj shipyard, Roko Vuletić, said that the situation on the EU market is once again favourable for shipbuilding after many years. This Rijeka shipyard has two slipways, and although it does not build the ship in its entirety, more than 85 percent of the workers are from the local pool, and for about 10 percent of the jobs the customer has to engage help from abroad, he said. He pointed out that they have applied for the announced construction of two multipurpose corvettes for the Croatian Navy, assessing at the same time that it will be difficult to meet the deadline until 2028. He also mentioned the renewal of the domestic passenger fleet and Jadrolinija’s announcement related to the renewal of the fleet and green technologies and the construction of four ships with alternative propulsion, in which the Rijeka shipyard also wants to participate. He added that it is necessary to think in a timely manner about charging stations for these ships as well. Vuletić emphasised that in Rijeka he recognised positive energy, a kind of last oasis that wants a shipyard, from local authorities to the public, and highlighted the strong presence of engineering offices and cooperating companies that work for the whole world, as well as the merits of the faculty. In just a few months, the Rijeka shipyard plans to launch a brand new polar cruiser for the company Scenic, and besides that they are preparing several projects of floating piers and small yachts, while serious preparations are underway for the upcoming tenders, Vuletić said. Other shipbuilding and design companies from across the wider Kvarner area also presented themselves at the aforementioned conference, including the Viktor Lenac Shipyard, Rheinmetall Naval Systems, AITAC, Navis Consult and others. The post Croatia Plans Demanding Navy Modernisation appeared first on Total Croatia .