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Croatia: Harbor and river police

Administrative signal
Pennant
Privileged navigation signal, 1991-1999
Regulation of river navigation

See also:

Administrative signal

Administrative jack, 1991-1992

Administrative jack, 1991-1992 - Image by Željko Heimer, 1 December 1996

Law No. 1097 Pravilnik o čamcima (Regulation on boats), published on 11 August 1991 in the Croatian official gazette Narodne novine, No. 39, was the first Law in Croatia regulating flags at sea. The administrative signal is mentioned as follows:

Boats for public purposes that are owned by harbor police should on bow, during daytime, hoist an administrative signal, blue with proportions 1:1. In the middle of it on both sides there are two crossed white anchors inscribed in an imaginary rectangle whose length is 3/8 and height 1/3 of the signal's length.

Željko Heimer, 1 December 1996

Administrative jack, 1992-1997

Administrative signal, 1992-1997 - Image by Željko Heimer, 1 December 1996

Article 4.
Vessels and ships of organizations responsible for the security of naval transport should hoist on the signal mast the administrative signal. The signal is in proportions 1:1 and consists of two white crossed anchors on a blue background, and in the middle above the necks of the anchors there are the arms of the Republic. Along the edges the signal is bordered with a white Croatian wattle.

Željko Heimer, 1 December 1996

Administrative signal, 1997-2007

Administrative signal, 1997- - Image by Željko Heimer, 3 September 1997

Regulation No. 761 Pravilnik o isticanju i vijanju zastave trgovačke moranrice Republike Hrvatske i isticanju znakova na brodovima trgovaflorinke mornarice Republike Hrvatske (Regulations on hoisting and flying of the flag of merchant navy of Republic of Croatia and display of signs on the vessels of merchant navy of Republic of Croatia), published on 16 May 1997 in Narodne novine, No. 51, includes the following:

Article 5.1.
Public vessels of harbor police fly on signal mast the administrative signal. The signal has proportions 1:1, two white crossed anchors on blue a background, and in the middle above the anchors is the coat of arms of the Republic of Croatia. Around the egdes the signal is bordered with a yellow (golden) Croatian wattle.

Article 5.3.
Public vessels of other State institutions fly and display the signals according to the special regulations.

Željko Heimer, 3 September 1997

Administrative signal, 2007-

Regulation Pravilnik o nacinu vijanja zastave i isticanja znakova na brodovima i jahtama, adopted on 23 November 2007 and published on 10 December 2007 in Narodne novine, No. 126, includes a new drawing of the administrative signal, even though it seems that the wording remainsthe same. The drawing seems to imply that instead of the simpler wattle a golden triple wattle is now to be used.

Željko Heimer, 30 December 2007

Pennant

Pennant, 1991-1992

Boats for administrative purposes that are owned by port police should on bow, during daytime, hoist an administrative signal, that is a white pennant shaped as an isosceles triangle with proportions 2:1. In the middle of the pennant on both sides there is the signal from Article 58 Line 2 of this regulation [registration number].

Željko Heimer, 1 December 1996

Pennant, 1992-2000

River police pennant, 1992-2000 (the rhomb includes the number of the boat) - Image by Željko Heimer, 18 September 2000

Article 5.
Vessels and ships of organizations responsible for the security of inland waters should have a signal for recognition of both sides of the stern. The signal from Line 1 of this Article is in the shape of a rhomb, white with blue edges. In the middle of the rhomb there should be in black paint the number of the vessel. The horizontal diagonal of the rhomb should be 0.80 m, and vertical - 0.65 m. The width of the borders is 0.10 m, and the size of the number in the rhomb - 0.20 m. The dimensions of this signal could be proportionally increased or decreased depending of the size of the vessel.
The vessels from Line 1 of this article also fly a pennant, colored white, in the shape of an isosceles triangle of sides long 1 m, and base of 0.50 m. On both sides of the pennant there is the signal described in Line 2 of this article.

Željko Heimer, 1 December 1996

Pennant, 2000-2002

Administrative signal, 2000-2002 - Image by Željko Heimer, 1 December 1996

Regulation Pravilnik o isticanju i vijanju zastave trgovačke mornarice Republike Hrvatske i isticanju znakova na brodovima trgovačke mornarice Republike Hrvatske (Regulations on hoisting and flying the flag of the merchant fleet of Republic of Croatia and displaying the symbols on vessels of the merchant fleet of Republic of Croatia, text), adopted on 22 May 2000 and published on 6 June 2000 in Narodne novine, No. 56, shows an image of the pennant that is much more consistent with the text than in 1992. The blue border is considerably thicker, to conform with the 10 cm requirement. An example of number is provided, showing a large bold number "2". The position and size of the rhombus in the triangle is somewhat changed, too.

Željko Heimer, 18 September 2000

River police pennant, 2002-

River pennant, 2002- - Image by Željko Heimer, 3 January 2009

Regulation Pravilnik o plovidbi na unutarnjim vodama, adopted on 12 April 2002 and published on 7 May 2002 in Narodne novine, No. 50, prescribes the size of the pennant as 1 m in length and 0.5 m in height at hoist. There is no mention of the ship registration number within the rhombus.

Željko Heimer, 3 January 2009

Privileged navigation signal, 1991-1999

Privileged navigation signal - Image by Željko Heimer, 30 December 2007

Law No. 1341 Carinski zakon (Customs Law), adopted on 8 October 1991 and published in Narodne novine, No. 53A, prescribes a green square flag of 75 cm in side, with a white diagonal stripe of 20 cm, to be hoisted by vessels with privileged navigation authorization, that is, vessels with regular lines in border maritime area, border rivers and lakes, which are granted certain customs privileges.

The new Customs Law Carinski zakon, adopted on 30 June 1999 and published in Narodne novine, No. 78, does not include anymore provisions about privileged navigation, nor prescriptions regarding the flag such ships would use.

Željko Heimer, 30 December 2007

Regulation of river navigation

River navigation is regulated by Regulation Pravilnik o plovidbi na unutarnjim vodama, adopted on 12 April 2002 and published on 7 May 2002 in Narodne novine, No. 50, subsequently replaced by Regulation Pravilnik o plovidbi na unutarnjim vodama, adopted on 13 November 2008 and published on 28 November 2008 in Narodne novine, No. 138.

Article 31, section 7 says: "The vessels with crew are obliged, when navigating during daytime, to hoist on stern a flag of state affiliation. Fast vessels may, instead of the state affiliation flag, set up a panel matching the flag in regard to the shape and colors."

Article 37 determines the shape and size of all flags determined by the Regulation:
"(1) Unless it is otherwise prescribed in this Regulation, the flags and the panels prescribed in thid Regulation should be rectangular in shape and their colors should not be faded nor dirty.
(2) The dimensions of the flags and the panels should be large enough to be clearly seen. It shall be considered that this condition is met:
1. for the flags and the panels: only if the length and width of the panels and the flags is at least 1 m or 0.6 m for boats,
2. for the pennants: only if the length is at least 1 m and the width next to the mast at least 0,5 m."

Article 41 prohibits the use of flags and other objects that would be confused with or would obfuscate the signals prescribed.
Article 64 that the vessels that are unable to maneuver, beside the other signals, should hoist or wave a red flag.
Article 65 determines that vessels that were granted priority of passage in places where such priotities are regulated by authorities, should have a red pennant hoisted.
Article 68 determines that fishing nets and other fishing gear in vicinity of navigation routes should be marked with adequate number of yellow flags (or yellow buoys).

Article 69 determines flags for "technical vessels" performing works, soundings and similar, when they have to be protected from waves (produced by other vessels passing by). On the side(s) of such vessels where the navigating passage is free, a bicolor flag of red over white should be hoisted (or two flags, the upper being red and lower white), while a simple red flag should be set on the side where the way is blocked. These flags may be replaced with panels of the same design, but may also be replaced with panels of standard set of signals, having red-white-red horizontal stripes for blocked and green-white-green vertical stripes for free way.

Article 71 determines that each foreign vessel while navigating in the territorial waters of Croatia and when entering a Croatian harbor should hoist the flag of Croatia on the foremast.

Article 74 determines that harbor authorities vessels should have on each side a signal shaped as a rhombus colored white with a blue border, and beside, they should hoist the flag of Croatia and a white pennant with the same rhombus symbol.

Article 75 determines various distress signals that may be used from vessels, including:
- a flag or any other item being circularly waved;
- a flag hoisted above a balloon or anything resembling a balloon.

Article 77 prescribes, similarly to Article 69, a red and white flag for vessels that should not be disturbed by the waves produced from passing of other vessels, although such flags now may be replaced with the panels.
Article 81 prescribes that each vessel performing diving activities should have a "faithful reproduction of the 'A' flag of the International Signal Code" although other non-flag signals are also permitted (per article 79).

Article 97 determines rules when a vessel is moving upstream on the opposite side riverway, leaving the downstream passing vessels on her right side free for passage; these vessels should wave a light blue flag, or should have a light blue panel together with a flashing white light.

The appendix lists various signals, including:
- a red flag: forbidden passage
- two red flags one above the other signal such an extended prohibition.

Željko Heimer, 3 January 2009

These regulations very much resemble those current, now or in the past, on the Rhine including the use of rigid panels which may be replaced by flags and vice versa.

Jan Mertens, 4 January 2009