Almost 3000 foreign yachts entered Montenegrin waters in 2012. When choosing where to berth all of these owners will have taken into consideration a number of key factors, comprising the intended length of their stay, wintering options as well as the availability of nearby maintenance facilities.
Porto Montenegro offers competitive winter berth rates, as well as an exciting events calendar. This ensures captains and crew experience the best of Montenegro, from ski trips in the mountains to dinner parties and hiking trails.
A superyacht refit and maintenance facility is also in development in Bijela, just 2kms away from the marina. This 2.5 hectares ex tanker shipyard will accommodate yachts of up to and over 50 meters, and include floating / dry docks, offices, and a pier carrying a travel lift, as well as the refurbishment of the existing 170m dock.
A second phase will see the addition of a floating dock and an expanded platform. Due to open in 2014, the new yard will revolutionize the yachting industry in the southern Adriatic and complete Montenegro‘s offer as a world-class nautical hub in the process.
In the meantime, for those looking to carry out smaller-scale yacht repairs for yachts up to 30 meters, the southern Adriatic offers a number of practical options including Bijela, Bar and Zelenika in Montenegro. Major repairs are better suited to the yards at Bar and Bijela – the latter in the process of privatization – while dry docking in winter is available in Zelenika and Bar.
It is those latter two marinas that currently offer the most in terms of practical solutions for yacht owners and captains based in Montenegro. Zelenika has a travel lift with a capacity of 100T. In Bar, the travel lift is already considerably larger with a 240t capacity and a max width of 8m.
Additionally, just 600 meters from Porto Montenegro, the compact Navar shipyard offers a range of services suited to yachts under 25 meters, with a 60t travel lift and a max width of 5m.
For hard-to-find parts, tools and equipment, Composite Works chandlery in Porto Montenegro Village has an extensive selection of products including many imported brands. Anything they don’t have in stock can usually be ordered in so it’s always worth asking their staff for assistance, no matter how obscure the request.