--- title: "Safety at sea in Croatia: emergency numbers and ferries" description: "Who to call in an emergency at sea in Croatia, by phone or on the VHF, what to say in a MAYDAY, summer storms, and fast ferries in the Split Gate." url: https://olasail.com/croatia/safety-and-emergencies/ updated: 2026-10-07 --- > The Markdown copy of https://olasail.com/croatia/safety-and-emergencies/, from OlaSail, a planning reference for sailing in Croatia, not for navigation. Every page: https://olasail.com/llms.txt [Report a change](https://olasail.com/about/corrections/#page=Safety%20at%20sea%20in%20Croatia%3A%20emergency%20calls%2C%20storms%20and%20fast%20ferries) # Safety at sea in Croatia: emergency calls, storms and fast ferries In an emergency at sea, call 112 or 195, or call MAYDAY on VHF 16: all three reach MRCC Rijeka, the national sea rescue centre. Read the official forecast every morning, and keep clear of fast ferries in narrow channels like the Split Gate. 112 any emergency, by phone (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) 195 sea rescue, free, day and night (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) VHF 16 distress on the radio (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) 8 kn within 300 m of the shore (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) Photo: “Splitska vrata 2016” by [Ante Pletikosić](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Splitska_vrata_2016.jpg), [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0), resized All 39 facts on this page name their source, the latest checked on 26 Sep 2026: 3 from the operator, 35 from official sources and 1 measured by us. See every source 3 From the operator (operator) 35 Official source (official) 1 Measured by us (measured) Written by [Domagoj Franc](https://olasail.com/about/people/domagoj-franc/), editor. Reviewed by [Ivor Benko](https://olasail.com/about/people/ivor-benko/), skipper (Croatian skipper's licence, category C). Published 7 Oct 2026. If something goes wrong - Phone 112 or 195, or call on VHF 16. All three reach MRCC Rijeka, the sea rescue centre. (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) - In immediate danger, call MAYDAY on VHF 16, or press the red DSC button. (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) [What to say](https://olasail.com/croatia/safety-and-emergencies/#radio) - After a collision, grounding or engine failure, tell MRCC Rijeka at once, even if nobody is hurt. (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) - Near fast ferries, keep to the right of a channel, and never cross close ahead of one. (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) ## Who to call in an emergency at sea Croatia has one sea rescue centre, MRCC Rijeka, and every emergency route at sea ends there. You don't need to know which harbourmaster's office is nearest: call, and the centre sends help. MRCC Rijeka is Croatia's national sea rescue centre. It runs searches and rescues at sea, watches sea traffic and leads the response when the sea is suddenly polluted. (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) - By phone: 112 for any emergency. At sea, 112 puts your call through to MRCC Rijeka, the sea rescue centre. (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) 195 for sea rescue (MRCC Rijeka). Free from a landline or a mobile, day and night. (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) - By radio: VHF channel 16 to ask for help at sea. (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) MRCC Rijeka, the eight harbourmasters' offices and their branches, and the three coast radio stations (Rijeka, Split and Dubrovnik Radio) all keep a radio watch for distress, urgency and safety calls. (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) Split Radio's MMSI is 002380100 and Rijeka Radio's is 002380200, for a DSC call to a coast station. (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) - After an accident: After a collision, a grounding, damage, flooding, or an engine or steering failure, the skipper must tell MRCC Rijeka at once: through the coast radio on VHF channel 16 or DSC channel 70, or on the free number 195 (Article 140). (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) The report gives at least the boat's name and call sign, its position, where it sailed from and is going, how many people are aboard, and what happened (Article 140). (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) - False alarms: Sending a false distress, urgency or safety call is forbidden (Article 54). If you call by mistake, cancel it on VHF 16 straight away. (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) Save 195 in every phone aboard before you leave the marina. Free from a landline or a mobile, day and night. (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) ## What to say on the radio In a real emergency people forget the words. Put this card by the radio, and read it aloud once with the crew on the first day. Plovput, which runs Croatia's coast radio stations, gives this order for a distress call. (From the operator, 26 Sep 2026) MAYDAY: immediate danger 1. Switch the radio to VHF 16, on high power. 2. Say "MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY". 3. Say "This is" and the boat's name or call sign, three times. 4. Give your position: latitude and longitude from the plotter, or a bearing and distance from a named point. 5. Say what is wrong: sinking, fire, collision, aground, capsized, or a person overboard. 6. Say what help you need and how many people are aboard, and describe the boat. 7. Say "Over", and listen. From Plovput's emergency procedure. (From the operator, 26 Sep 2026) - MAYDAY: A distress call is only for a boat or crew in immediate danger that needs help at once. On channel 16: MAYDAY three times, the boat's name or call sign three times, your position, what is wrong, the help you need and how many are aboard, then Over. (From the operator, 26 Sep 2026) - PAN-PAN: An urgency call, PAN-PAN three times, is for a threat to the boat or crew that is not immediate danger, such as a person overboard, urgent medical help or an engine failure. (From the operator, 26 Sep 2026) - SECURITE: A safety call, SECURITE three times, gives an important warning, such as a sudden storm or an obstacle in the channel. (From the operator, 26 Sep 2026) - The red DSC button: On a DSC radio, lift the cover and press the red DISTRESS button until the sound and light turn steady, more than 3 seconds. Then call MAYDAY on the handset. (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) The alert only sends your position if the radio is connected to the plotter or has its own GPS. Check that at the handover. - Other signals: The ordinance counts the spoken word MAYDAY on VHF channel 16, and a DSC distress alert on VHF channel 70, among the signals of a boat in distress (Article 40). (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) Red flares, orange smoke, and slowly raising and lowering your outstretched arms are distress signals too (Article 40). (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) ## Summer storms and the bura Two kinds of wind cause most bad nights. The bura, from the northeast, is usually forecast days ahead and can blow hard for days. A summer storm, the nevera, comes with a front, often in an hour, and the wind can swing right round. Both can turn a calm bay into a lee shore. - The forecast: Read the [DHMZ marine forecast](https://meteo.hr/prognoze_e.php?section=prognoze_specp¶m=jadran) every morning and before each crossing. (Official source, 25 Sep 2026) DHMZ gives green, yellow, orange and red warnings for each county and for the sea areas, among them Central Dalmatia (Srednja Dalmacija). (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) - On the VHF: Between the set times, the coast radio stations read extra wind warnings: every 2 hours for winds of 30 to 50 knots, and every hour above 50 knots. (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) ### When a storm is coming - Choose tonight's harbour for the strongest wind in the forecast, and its direction, not the average. - Reef or drop the sails early, and start the engine before the wind arrives. - Lifejackets on, everyone in the cockpit, and the hatches shut. - At anchor, keep someone awake on watch, and be ready to leave if the anchor drags and the wind puts the shore behind you. Our advice, checked by a skipper reviewer. The winds, the forecasts and the VHF times are in [Bura, jugo and maestral: which forecast to trust](https://olasail.com/croatia/weather-and-winds/). ## Fast ferries and the Split Gate The Split Gate (Splitska vrata) is the narrow strait between [Šolta](https://olasail.com/places/solta/) and [Brač](https://olasail.com/places/brac/). Most boats leaving the Split and Trogir marinas for the islands pass through it, and so do the fast passenger catamarans from Split. In 2026, state fast passenger lines run from Split to Milna, Šolta (Rogač), Sutivan, Hvar, Vis, Bol, Jelsa, Stari Grad, Vela Luka, Lastovo and Korčula, with more fast lines to Hvar, Bol, Supetar and Korčula run without a state contract. (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) On 14 Jun 2026 a fast passenger ship on its regular line from Split to Hvar collided with a French-flag sailing yacht on its way to the Split Gate. Four people from the yacht died, and its skipper and three passengers were hurt. (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) The passenger ship carried 118 passengers and 7 crew, and the yacht 8 people. MRCC Rijeka coordinated the search. (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) The agency opened a safety investigation on 16 Jun 2026. It had published no report when we read its page. (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) No rule is written for the Split Gate alone: neither the 2025 ordinance nor its 2026 changes names it. The general rules for narrow channels and harbour entrances apply. (Official source, 25 Sep 2026) - In a narrow channel: In a narrow channel keep to the right-hand side. A boat under 20 m or a sailing boat must not get in the way of a ship that can only navigate safely inside the channel, and must not cross it if that gets in the ship's way (Article 12). (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) - Ferry speeds: Ships on public coastal lines may go faster than 8 knots in narrow channels and harbour approaches when they need the speed to steer, with the harbourmaster's approval (Article 50). (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) - Near a harbour: Within one nautical mile of a harbour entrance, boats of 20 m or less must keep out of the way of larger vessels (Article 46). (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) - Listen on the VHF: Split vessel traffic service works on VHF channels 12 and 62, and the Split harbour area on channel 9. (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) Cross a ferry lane at a right angle and behind the ferry, not ahead of it. A drawing, not a chart. ### Crossing the Split Gate - Before you reach it, look astern and ahead for ferries. A fast catamaran that looks far away can reach you in a few minutes. More than 20,000 passages a year go through the Split Gate, over 10,000 each way, two to three times more in summer, and about 30% of them fast craft. On 14 Jun 2026 a passenger ship and a sailing yacht collided there. Keep a lookout astern (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) - Keep to the right-hand side if you go through along the channel, and cross it quickly, at a right angle, if you go from Šolta to Brač. About 5.5 NM from Stomorska to Milna, across the Split Gate. (Measured by us, 26 Sep 2026) - Make your course obvious early: one clear turn, not small changes at the last moment. - Keep someone on watch the whole way, not below, and the engine ready even under sail. ## Tenders, swimmers and divers Near an anchorage the danger is small and fast: a tender and a swimmer in the same patch of water. The rules keep fast boats away from the shore and from bathing areas. - Near the shore: Within 300 m of the shore, in narrow channels and near harbours and anchorages, go no faster than 8 knots (Article 50). (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) A motor boat may plane only more than 300 m from the shore (Article 50). (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) Keep off the shore itself: at least 50 m in a boat under 15 m, 150 m in a boat of 15 to 30 m and 300 m at 30 m and over, except to enter or leave a harbour, anchor or moor, and then slowly (Article 49). (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) - Bathing areas: Keep away from the boundary of an organised bathing area: at least 50 m in a boat under 15 m, 100 m from 15 to 30 m, and 300 m from 30 m up. (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) - Divers: Keep at least 50 m from a diver's marker, unless you are the divers' own boat (Article 49). (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) - The tender: A tender carried as your yacht's equipment may go up to 500 m from it, except to carry people or things to the nearest landing (Article 49). (Official source, 25 Sep 2026) At night a motor boat under 7 m that cannot go faster than 7 knots may show one all-round white light, with sidelights if it can. A rowing boat keeps a torch ready to show in time (Articles 26 and 28). (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) In a busy bay, drive the tender slowly and look for heads in the water, above all near the beach and the boats at anchor. Wear the engine's kill cord, and never drive at night without a light. Where you may anchor and tie ashore: [Anchoring in Croatia: the rules and the fees](https://olasail.com/moorings/anchoring-rules-and-fees/). How the bathing-area distances changed: [the rules before and after](https://olasail.com/journal/what-changed-since-2025/#before-after). ## Before you sail: the safety check At the handover the charter company must check the skipper's competence and go through the rescue and emergency phone numbers, what to do after an accident, and the weather reports and warnings (Article 25). (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) Use that time to ask your own questions too. - Count the lifejackets, and try one on each child. Boats and yachts must carry a lifejacket for everyone aboard, and a child's lifejacket for each child. (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) - Find the flares, the fire extinguishers, the first aid kit and the grab bag, and show the crew. - Check the VHF works, that its DSC is connected to the GPS, and that the boat's MMSI is set. (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) - Show a second person how to start the engine, call on the radio and stop the boat. - Agree who drinks and who drives. The skipper and crew of a boat or yacht may not have more than 0.5 g/kg of alcohol in the blood while on duty aboard (Article 134). (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) [What else happens at check-in](https://olasail.com/charter/booking/#checkin) ## Common questions - What is the emergency number at sea in Croatia?: 112 for any emergency. 195 for sea rescue (MRCC Rijeka). VHF channel 16 to ask for help at sea. (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) - Who answers a MAYDAY in Croatia?: MRCC Rijeka, the eight harbourmasters' offices and their branches, and the three coast radio stations (Rijeka, Split and Dubrovnik Radio) all keep a radio watch for distress, urgency and safety calls. (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) - Do fast ferries have to give way to a sailing boat?: Don't count on it. In a narrow channel a sailing boat must not get in the way of a ship that can only use the channel, and near a harbour small boats keep clear of larger ones. (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) - What happened in the Split Gate in June 2026?: On 14 Jun 2026 a fast passenger ship on its regular line from Split to Hvar collided with a French-flag sailing yacht on its way to the Split Gate. Four people from the yacht died, and its skipper and three passengers were hurt. The agency opened a safety investigation on 16 Jun 2026. It had published no report when we read its page. (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) - What is the alcohol limit for a skipper?: The skipper and crew of a boat or yacht may not have more than 0.5 g/kg of alcohol in the blood while on duty aboard (Article 134). (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) ## Help keep this page right Found something different on the water this season? Tell us what you found. We check it with the source before anything changes. [Report a change](https://olasail.com/about/corrections/#page=Safety%20at%20sea%20in%20Croatia%3A%20emergency%20calls%2C%20storms%20and%20fast%20ferries) [Other ways to help](https://olasail.com/about/contribute/) ## Sources 39 facts from 17 sources, last checked 26 Sep 2026. [Plovput radio service: emergency procedures](https://www.plovput.hr/en/radio-service/emergency-procedures) (A distress call, an urgency call, a safety call) (From the operator, 26 Sep 2026) [gov.hr: 195, the maritime search and rescue service](https://gov.hr/en/195-maritime-search-and-rescue-service/1188) (The emergency number, the distress channel) (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) [Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure: Search and rescue at sea: MRCC Rijeka keeps a 24-hour watch on 195](https://mmpi.gov.hr/search-and-rescue-7010/7010) (The sea rescue number, what MRCC Rijeka does, who listens for a call) (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) [The maritime safety ordinance (Pravilnik o sigurnosti pomorske plovidbe), Narodne novine 52/2025](https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/2025_03_52_685.html), Article 50 and Article 102 (Speed near the shore, distress signals, reporting an accident, narrow channels, what the report says, false alarms, other distress signals, the anchoring ordinance, ferry speeds in channels, harbour entrances, the VHF channels for Split traffic in the Split Gate, planing near the shore, coming close to the shore, divers' markers, the tender, a tender at night) (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) [Hydrographic Institute of the Republic of Croatia: Radio service for mariners 2024 (online preview)](https://www.hhi.hr/Portals/0/adam/HHI/X_zz1OrshUuqLO_JddKm5w/PdfView/RS_2024.pdf), the coast radio stations (The coast stations' MMSI numbers, extra gale warnings) (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) [International Maritime Organization: Guidance on distress alerts, MSC.1/Circ.1658](https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/OurWork/Safety/Documents/Documents%20relevant%20to%20GMDSS/MSC.1-Circ.1658.pdf) (The DSC distress button) (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) Show all 17 sources Show fewer sources [DHMZ weather warnings by county](https://meteo.hr/naslovnica-upozorenja-zupanije.php?tab=upozorenja) (Weather warnings) (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) [Agency for Coastal Line Traffic: State coastal lines in 2026: timetables and fares](https://agencija-zolpp.hr/linije-2026/) (Fast lines from Split in the Split Gate) (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) [Air, Maritime and Railway Traffic Accident Investigation Agency (AIN): investigation of the Split Gate collision of 14 Jun 2026](https://ain.hr/istrage/sudar-brzog-putnickog-broda-krilo-eclipse-i-jedrilice-u-blizini-splitskih-vrata-14-lipnja-2026/) (The collision near the Split Gate, the investigation in the Split Gate) (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) [Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure: Press release on the serious accident at the Split Gate, 14 Jun 2026](https://mmpi.gov.hr/UserDocsImages/dokumenti/PRESS/Priop%C4%87enja/Priopcenja_26/MMPI%20Priopcenje%20Teska%20pomorska%20nesre%C4%87a%20kod%20Splitskih%20vrata%20LKST%2014-6_26.pdf) (Who was aboard in the Split Gate, ferry traffic in the Split Gate) (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) [Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure: Traffic and navigation study, Split, Ploče and Dubrovnik (Prometno-plovidbena studija), v3.1, Dec 2014, by the Faculty of Maritime Studies Rijeka for the Ministry](https://mmpi.gov.hr/UserDocsImages/arhiva/MMPI%20-%20South%20Adriatic%20v.3.1%2022-12_14.pdf), sections 3.1.4 and 4.2.1 (Ferry traffic in the Split Gate) (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) [Changes to the maritime safety ordinance, Narodne novine 40/2026](https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/2026_04_40_495.html), Article 3 (Keeping clear of a bathing area) (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) [The charter ordinance (Pravilnik o uvjetima za obavljanje djelatnosti iznajmljivanja plovila), Narodne novine 42/2017](https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/2017_04_42_972.html), Article 25 (Safety at the handover) (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) [The boats and yachts ordinance (Pravilnik o brodicama, čamcima i jahtama), Narodne novine 13/2020](https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/2020_01_13_223.html) (Lifejackets aboard) (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) [The Maritime Code (Pomorski zakonik), Narodne novine 181/2004](https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/2004_12_181_3142.html), Article 134 (Alcohol and the skipper) (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) [DHMZ marine forecast for the Adriatic (English)](https://meteo.hr/prognoze_e.php?section=prognoze_specp¶m=jadran) (The marine forecast) (Official source, 25 Sep 2026) Our route tool: the shortest line by sea between the two harbours, from the table of harbour distances measured on 26 Sep 2026 (Stomorska: distance to Milna) (Measured by us, 26 Sep 2026) Photos on this page - The Split Gate (Splitska vrata), between Šolta and Brač. Photo: “Splitska vrata 2016” by [Ante Pletikosić](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Splitska_vrata_2016.jpg), [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0), resized - Croatian Adriatic coast, place not named by the author. Photo: “The power of nature in Croatia” by [otrow_photography](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_power_of_nature_in_Croatia.jpg), [CC0](http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en), resized - Marina Punat, Krk. Photo: “Sailboat leaving marina Punat” by [Yacht Rent from Croatia](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sailboat_leaving_marina_Punat_(19497124969).jpg), [CC BY 2.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), resized - Telašćica Bay, heading for the Kornati islands. Photo: “Voilier à Kornati” by [julien](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Voilier_%C3%A0_Kornati.jpg), [CC BY 2.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), resized (From the operator) (Official source) (Seen by us) (Seen by a sailor) (Measured by us) (Sources disagree) (Third-party source) [How we check](https://olasail.com/about/how-we-check/#labels) 39 facts, last checked 26 Sep 2026. [See every source](https://olasail.com/croatia/safety-and-emergencies/#sources) [Weather Which forecast to trust The bura, the jugo and summer storms, and the VHF weather times. Read the guide](https://olasail.com/croatia/weather-and-winds/) ## Keep planning [All guides](https://olasail.com/guides/) [Sailing in Croatia Bura, jugo and maestral: which forecast? How the main winds behave, and which forecast to read each morning](https://olasail.com/croatia/weather-and-winds/) [Moorings Med mooring, step by step How to moor stern-to on a town quay or in a marina, pick up a buoy and tie ashore](https://olasail.com/moorings/med-mooring/) [Charter planning Hiring a skipper: cost, cabin and tips What a hired skipper does, where they sleep and how tipping works](https://olasail.com/charter/skipper/) [About Safety and limits What this site can and can't tell you.](https://olasail.com/about/safety/)