MT ''Petar Hektorović'' is a

roll-on/roll-off Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, Trailer (vehicle), trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their ...

passenger and cargo

ferry A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...

currently in use as part of Croatian shipping company

Jadrolinija Jadrolinija is a Croatian ferry company. It is state-owned and it primarily connects Croatian islands to the mainland by operating regular passenger and cargo transport services. The company mainly operates car ferries on domestic routes along t ...

's fleet. It is the only ferry regularly servicing the

Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enter ...

– Vis route in the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...

and its crew has been praised for its skill in difficult waters and its performance in

emergency service Emergency services and rescue services are organizations that ensure public safety, security, and health by addressing and resolving different emergencies. Some of these agencies exist solely for addressing certain types of emergencies, while oth ...

Construction and sale

Built in Denmark in 1989 by Svendborg Skibsværft, the ship was originally intended for a Danish customer, Langeland-Kiel, who sailed it under the name of . In 1998, it was bought by Jadrolinija and renamed after the author and poet

Petar Hektorović Petar Hektorović (1487 – 13 March 1572) was a Croatian writer and polymath. Hektorović, also known as Pietro Ettoreo or Piero Hettoreo, was born and died in Stari Grad, Hvar. He was a poet and collector of Hvar's fishermen songs, and ...

(1487–1572), known for his coastal travelogue – ''

Fishing and Fishermen's Talk ''Fishing and Fishermen's Talk'' (), also translated as ''Fishing and Fishermen's Conversations'', is the most important literary work of Croatian Renaissance poet Petar Hektorović, finished on January 14, 1556, and printed in 1568 in Venice. '' ...

'' () – and collection of fisherman songs from the island of

Hvar Hvar (; Chakavian: ''Hvor'' or ''For''; ; ; ) is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea, located off the Dalmatian coast, lying between the islands of Brač, Vis (island), Vis and Korčula. Approximately long, with a high east–west ridge of M ...

. The name was chosen because the ferry originally serviced the

– Stari Grad line, the latter town being the hometown of Hektorović. It serviced that line for several years until it was transferred to the Split– Vis line, on which it still operates.

Details

The ship is long and wide with a draft of . Its maximum speed is and it is equipped two KRUPP–MaK diesel engines which harbor a piece. The ship is rated to carry 1,080 passengers and 120 vehicles. It has a

gross tonnage Gross tonnage (GT, G.T. or gt) is a nonlinear measure of a ship's overall internal volume. Gross tonnage is different from gross register tonnage. Neither gross tonnage nor gross register tonnage should be confused with measures of mass or weig ...

of 6,721 and a deadweight of 804 tons. On board are two restaurants and two bars, as well as 800 seats and a shop. The deck is also decorated in honor of its namesake. The trip between Split and Vis takes about two hours and twenty minutes and is between . Daily operation of the ferry varies between three times a day during the height of tourist season in Croatia and twice a day during the low season. In 2017, the ship made 792 voyages on the Split–Vis line, transporting 52,912 vehicles. Because the town of

Komiža Komiža () is a Croatian coastal town lying on the western coast of the Vis (island), island of Vis in the central part of the Adriatic Sea. Komiža is located at the foot of the Hum hill (587 m). Town has a Mediterranean climate. The economy i ...

is not connected to the mainland by a ferry line, about 41% of all vehicles carried on the ferry are ultimately headed to Komiža.

Crew

In October 2006, five crew members were hospitalized during a regular boat escape drill with a sixth narrowly avoiding injury by jumping on the ship's deck. After further inspection, the ferry's two rescue boats were no longer allowed to be used and the total number of allowed passengers was decreased. During the inspection, the ship was shortly replaced on its route by the MF ''Lastovo'', which reoccurred in February 2023 as a result of routine maintenance. As of 2021, the ship is captained by Ante Granić and staffed by 22 crew members. The crew begins work at 5:30 am and ends work at 9:00 pm with two trips or 11:30 pm with three. The crew has been praised for its performance throughout its time on the Split–Vis line, particularly for its skill in bad weather, which is often exacerbated by the jugo katabatic winds, and in emergency services. In October 2023, the ship weathered a storm that disrupted commercial traffic in the

Adriatic The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...

to deliver an injured Vis fireman to a hospital in Split, saving his fingers after an axe injury.

Temporary reassignment

The ferry is fondly spoken of on the island of Vis, where it is a lifeline for the inhabitants, who rely on it for its economy and supplies. When the ferry was quickly – although temporarily – transferred to the Split–

Vela Luka Vela Luka () is a small town and the only naselje , settlement in the eponymous municipality in Dubrovnik-Neretva County in southern Dalmatia, Croatia. The town is located on the western side of the island of Korčula at the bottom of a wide bay ...

– Ubli line to deal with a surge in passengers in May 2024, Vis residents reacted negatively online, claiming that the line had been cut off underhandedly and without warning. Some wrote "in memoriam" posts, with one poster asking: When the port in Vela Luka opened, the ferry was its first arrival.

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