The Croatian Coast Guard ( hr, Obalna straža Republike Hrvatske) is a division of the

Croatian Navy , image = Seal of Croatian Navy.png , caption = Emblem of the Croatian Navy , start_date = 1991 , country = , allegiance = , branch = , type = Navy , role = , size = 1,36330 vessels , command_structure = Armed Forces of Croatia , ga ...

responsible for protecting the interests of the Republic of Croatia at sea. The Croatian Navy is composed of classical naval forces structured into a

flotilla A flotilla (from Spanish, meaning a small ''flota'' ( fleet) of ships), or naval flotilla, is a formation of small warships that may be part of a larger fleet. Composition A flotilla is usually composed of a homogeneous group of the same clas ...

and the

Coast Guard A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...

that solely consists of ships with peacetime duties, e.g. protection of

ecology Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overl ...

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

, control of tankers,

ballast water Ballast is used in ships to provide moment to resist the lateral forces on the hull. Insufficiently ballasted boats tend to tip or heel excessively in high winds. Too much heel may result in the vessel capsizing. If a sailing vessel needs to voy ...

s, combat against

terrorism Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...

, trafficking of people, narcotics, and similar.

History and Mission

On September 13, 2007, the Croatian Parliament passed a bill establishing the Croatian Coast Guard. The Coast Guard's mission is protect sovereign rights and carry out Croatia's jurisdiction in the

Ecological and Fisheries Protection Zone The Ecological and Fisheries Protection Zone ( hr, Zaštićeni ekološko-ribolovni pojas, ZERP) is a protected fishing area over Croatia's exclusive economic zone. The ZERP was initiated by the Croatian Peasant Party, then a member of Croatia ...

, the continental shelf and the

high seas The terms international waters or transboundary waters apply where any of the following types of bodies of water (or their drainage basins) transcend international boundaries: oceans, large marine ecosystems, enclosed or semi-enclosed region ...

. The Coast Guard will also monitor vessels sailing in the Croatian

territorial waters The term territorial waters is sometimes used informally to refer to any area of water over which a sovereign state has jurisdiction, including internal waters, the territorial sea, the contiguous zone, the exclusive economic zone, and potent ...

. If vessels are caught violating Croatian or international regulations and disregard warnings by the Coast Guard, Coast Guard ships and airplanes are authorized to pursue them and if necessary open fire, while taking care not to jeopardize the lives of the vessel's crew. Under the law, the commander of the Coast Guard is a Navy officer who is appointed and relieved of duty by the President of the Republic at the government's proposal.

Organizational structure and vessels

Ships of

under the Command of Coast Guard: *''Coast Guard Command'' *1st Division - Split **OB-01 ''Novigrad'' ** OB-02 ''Šolta'' **OB-31 ''Omiš'' ** BŠ-72 ''Andrija Mohorovičić'' **SB-73 ''Faust Vrančić'' **PT-71 ''Meduza'' **Tug LR-71 **Modrulj 1 *2nd Division - Pula **OB-03 ''Cavtat'' **OB-04 ''Hrvatska Kostajnica'' **Tug LR-73 **Modrulj 2 Croatian part of

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

is also controlled by Croatian Police - Maritime department and Harbormasters’ offices (''Lučka kapetanija'') whose ships are marked similar to Navy ships. Besides the warships, the Coast Guard has at its disposal two

Pilatus PC-9 The Pilatus PC-9 is a single-engine, low-wing tandem-seat turboprop training aircraft manufactured by Pilatus Aircraft of Switzerland. Designed as a more powerful evolution of the Pilatus PC-7, the PC-9's first flight was made in May 1984 after ...

aircraft and four Mil Mi-8 helicopters of the

Croatian Air Force and Defense The Croatian Air Force ( hr, Hrvatsko ratno zrakoplovstvo or HRZ) is a branch of the Croatian Armed Forces whose primary task is to ensure the sovereignty of the airspace of the Republic of Croatia and to provide aviation support to other bran ...

Current fleet status

The cornerstone of the Coast Guard forces are four former Yugoslav ''Mirna'' class patrol boats (OB-01 through 04). They have recently been upgraded with new radars and their stern anti-aircraft guns have been replaced with hoists for a semi-rigid inflatable. These are to be augmented and eventually replaced by an entirely new class. Coast Guard possess one new offshore patrol ship OOB-31 Omiš built in

Brodosplit Brodosplit is the largest shipyard in Croatia, located in the Supaval bay, on the north side of the Split peninsula. History The company was founded in 1922 by a merger of shipyards in the area and has been in its current location since 1932. ...

which is lead ship in future class.

Future developments

Construction of the first out of the projected 5 shore patrol vessels (additional 10 were planned for later) was scheduled to start in 2007, however due to the onset of the

economic crisis An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with th ...

the international tender for the construction of 1 + 4 vessels was published only on April 24, 2013. The tender calls for the acquisition of a total of 5 inshore patrol ships ( Croatian ''obalni ophodni brod'', OOB) which are to be 43.5 meters long, with a displacement of roughly 220 tons and a maximum sustained speed of at least 28 knots. They are to be armed with a 30 mm

Aselsan SMASH The SMASH is a type of remote controlled weapon station manufactured by Aselsan of Turkey. The system is fitted with 30mm Mk44 Bushmaster II auto-cannon. Overview The weapon is mounted on a stabilized pedestal mounting which allows it to remain ...

Remote weapon station as their main armament along with two 12,7 mm heavy machine guns and 4 MANPADS launchers. The tender was completed in May 2014 and the construction of the first ship was to start in the last quarter of the same year. As projected, the first vessel was to enter service in 2015, the second one in 2016, the third and the fourth in 2017 and the last one in 2018. Units are projected to cost around 10 million euros respectively (375 million kuna for first 5 ships). However, the first ship (prototype) was laid down in September 2015 and is expected to be launched and commissioned in the beginning of 2017. In a TV interview in October 2016,

commander,

rear-admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

Stipanović, stated that Croatian Coast Guard would eventually need additional 10 inshore patrol vessels (on top of five planned and ordered) to be fully operational.Tabak, Igor
"kontraadmiral Stipanović za HTV o budućnosti HRM-a"
obris.org, 14/10/2016

Gallery

File:OB-63 Cavtat i OB-64 Hrvatska Kostajnica.JPG, Croatian Navy's patrol boats OB-03 ''Cavtat'' and OB-04 ''Hrvatska Kostajnica'' File:BS-73 Faust Vrancic 011.jpg, BS-73 Faust Vrančić File:OB-61 Novigrad.jpg, OB-01 ''Novigrad'' with old pennant number and racing stripes File:Remorker LR-73.jpg, Tug LR-73 BS-73 Faust Vrancic 012.jpg, New racing stripes on Croatian Navy's BS-73 ''Faust Vrančić''

References

External links

CCG live fire exercise "Prstac 16"
2016. YouTube. {{Coast guards Croatian Navy Coast guards Military units and formations established in 2007 2007 establishments in Croatia