{"id":70000,"date":"2026-08-01T12:42:52","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T10:42:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sea-help.eu\/news-general\/anchoring-fees-vinisce-croatia\/"},"modified":"2026-08-01T12:42:52","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T10:42:52","slug":"anchoring-fees-vinisce-croatia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sea-help.eu\/en\/news-general\/anchoring-fees-vinisce-croatia\/","title":{"rendered":"Anchoring fees: <\/span><\/span>Anchoring in Vini\u0161\u0107e now costs money \u2013 here’s what’s behind the new fees"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you’re sailing into the popular bay of Vini\u0161\u0107e west of Trogir this summer, you may be in for a surprise: while anchoring there was free for decades, harbour authority staff are now collecting anchoring fees \u2013 straight from a rigid inflatable boat. After numerous skippers reported the new charges in recent weeks, SeaHelp has now obtained both the relevant fee schedule of the Split-Dalmatia harbour authority and several original receipts. They show that the fees are based on an existing tariff regulation \u2013 even though many boaters were previously unaware of it.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many boaters are asking themselves: is it even legal to charge fees for anchoring there? According to consistent statements from the Lu\u010dka uprava Splitsko-dalmatinske \u017eupanije (Harbour Authority of the Split-Dalmatia County)<\/a> \u2013 confirmed by SeaHelp \u2013 the fees are not collected by a private operator, but by the responsible harbour authority. This is supported, among other things, by the fact that the inspection boat carries the harbour authority’s registration marking (ST 295715).<\/p>\n

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Is this legal?<\/h2>\n

Yes. The basis is the Pravilnik o lu\u010dkim pristojbama (Fee Schedule of the Split-Dalmatia Harbour Authority)<\/a> from 2023. In it, Article 2 defines a harbour anchorage as a designated part of the sea area for safe anchoring, which may \u2013 but does not have to \u2013 be equipped with mooring facilities.<\/p>\n

Article 5<\/strong> regulates the amount of the fees. If a vessel uses such a harbour anchorage, the regular berthing fee is reduced: by 30 percent if mooring facilities are available, or by 50 percent if the vessel is anchoring only. In addition, an indirect waste fee of one percent is charged.<\/p>\n

According to Article 8<\/strong> of the fee schedule, Vini\u0161\u0107e belongs to harbour category III. The applicable berthing fees for this category are set out in Table IX of the regulation.<\/p>\n

“This means there is a clear tariff basis for the anchoring fees currently being charged in Vini\u0161\u0107e,”<\/em> explains Denis Lipovac of SeaHelp Adria. “The amount depends on the boat’s length and the respective harbour category.”<\/em><\/p>\n

What does anchoring actually cost?<\/h2>\n

SeaHelp has now obtained several receipts from the harbour authority. They show how the fees are calculated in practice.<\/p>\n

For a 10-metre boat, for example, a regular berthing fee of 30 euros was initially applied. Since the boat was anchoring only, this amount was reduced by 50 percent under Article 5 of the fee schedule, to 15 euros. Including the one-percent waste fee, a final total of 15.15 euros was charged.<\/p>\n

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\"Anchoring<\/a><\/p>\n

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For a yacht 14.02 metres long, the regular berthing fee came to 42.06 euros. After the mandatory 50 percent discount, 21.03 euros remained. Including the waste fee, this resulted in a final amount of 21.24 euros.<\/p>\n

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\"Anchoring<\/a><\/p>\n

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“The receipts we have received confirm that the fees are calculated in accordance with the tariff regulation,”<\/em> explains Denis Lipovac.<\/p>\n

Who has to pay?<\/h2>\n

According to the harbour authority, the skipper or operator of the boat is generally liable to pay as soon as an officially designated harbour anchorage is used.<\/p>\n

It makes no difference whether the vessel is anchoring only or also using a mooring in addition. What matters is solely the use of the designated anchoring area. Differences arise only in the amount of the fee.<\/p>\n

What happens if you don’t pay?<\/h2>\n

This question remains unresolved. According to SeaHelp, no legal provision could so far be found from which a specific fine for non-payment of the anchoring fee in Vini\u0161\u0107e could be derived.<\/p>\n

Some skippers do report having been told that the harbour supervisory authority or the police would be called in if they refused to pay. However, a clear penalty regulation could not be verified so far.<\/p>\n

“To the best of our current knowledge, there is no explicitly regulated fine amount. However, administrative proceedings for a violation of the port regulations would be possible,”<\/em> says Denis Lipovac.<\/p>\n

Will more anchoring bays become subject to fees in future?<\/h2>\n

Much suggests so. Back in 2024, the Split-Dalmatia County published its plan rasporeda nauti\u010dkih sidri\u0161ta Splitsko-dalmatinske \u017eupanije, in which numerous anchoring bays are designated as future managed anchoring areas. Vini\u0161\u0107e is just one of them.<\/p>\n

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