The Croatian government has recently approved the National Park on the island of Mljet to sign contracts worth almost 10 million Kunas for the construction of three tourist electric boats as environmentally friendly means of transport.

The boats will be built by the Zagreb company iCat in cooperation with the Riva company from Sibenik in order to help transport passengers on the Veliko Jezero and Malo Jezero (Big Lake and Small Lake) on the island of Mljet. Also these electric boats will not emit any gases harmful to the environment.

Tomislav Uroda, the director and co-owner of the Zagreb company iCat, said that the first boat would be delivered within one year after signing the contract, whilst the other two would be delivered the following year. He also explained that the boats were intended primarily for navigation in protected waters and that a 7,5 kW solar power plant integrated in the boat roof would provide eight hours of sailing at operating speed of five knots during the summer months. ''These electric boats will also have a built-in battery that will provide additional range of more than seven hours of sailing per day. They will be able to accommodate 54 passengers’’, concluded Tomislav Uroda.

Marta Srsen Strazicic, the director of the Mljet National Park commented that the electric boats for the National Park Mljet were just one more proof of their goal to make the national park as well as the entire island an area with minimal CO2 emissions. They already use electric and hybrid cars, and two electric tourist trains on the island.