President Milanović Receives Students Awarded in Monaco for Manufacturing Innovative Electric Vessels

The President of the Republic Zoran Milanović today received members of the Adria Energy Boat project from Rijeka, who design and manufacture innovative electric vessels. With their latest vessel, called “Vilson,” the team won second place at the prestigious Monaco Energy Boat Challenge among 17 teams from around the world.

The Adria Energy Boat is a project by ten students of the University of Rijeka Faculty of Naval Architecture and four students of the University of Rijeka Faculty of Engineering who, with the help of the Association of Applied Technical Sciences, combine their knowledge and practical skills with the aim of making sustainable and innovative solutions in maritime transport, i.e. electric vessels. They informed President Milanović of their achievements and future projects, and also discussed the future and possibilities of the use of electric vessels for commercial purposes.

According to Ljubomir Pozder, President of the Association of Applied Technical Sciences, the electrification of vessels could be important for Croatia in the future. Croatia has a large charter fleet, which means that many vessels that pollute the sea and environment sail in the Adriatic, Pozder said, adding that Croatia could protect its sea with greater electrification of vessels. “Naval architecture and new technologies should be linked, that could be the most important Croatian export product,” he underscored.

That Croatia has the knowledge and potential for something like this is what the deans of Rijeka’s Faculty of Naval Architecture and Faculty of Engineering believe, having supported the Adria Energy Boat project from the start. All our students find a job as soon as they graduate and there is great demand for their know-how on the market, said Professor Ana Perić Hadžić, Dean of the Faculty of Naval Architecture.

The members of the Adria Energy Boat project attending the meeting in the Office of the President included Martin Nikolla, Martin Mozetič, Nora Mišković, Tino Načinović, Petar Palić, Karlo Džafić, Vinko Grubišić, Krešimir Nikolić, Ivana Tus, Mario Sternak, and Marko Kozlov. Associate Professor Srđan Žuškin, Ph. D., Vice Dean for Professional Development of the Faculty of Maritime Studies of the University of Rijeka, and Professor Lado Kranjčević, Ph. D., Dean of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Rijeka, also attended the meeting.

President Milanović was accompanied by Jadranka Žarković, Adviser to the President of the Republic for Education, and Tomislav Paškvalin, Commissioner of the President of the Republic for Sports.

PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Marko Beljan