Port operator Okolje, a public company, will shell out just shy of 400,000 euros for the project. They have already found a subcontractor for the job. The three new floating piers will be built next to the existing pier and equipped with fresh water and electricity.

One of the piers will also double as a sea wall. The project will take at least four months to finish. “This means it could be finished by the end of the year,” said Alen Radojkovič, the chairman of Okolje.

104 of the berths will be communal berths, while the remaining 20 will be commercial (for visiting vessels). Piran municipal councillors recently slammed Okolje for renting 16 berths from Marina Portorož, They believe that Okolje should only be renting 4 berths from Marina because the former lost 4 berths after a renovation of the fishing port.

“This claim is false. When the fishing port was built, it became instantly clear that we needed another 15 or 16 berths. We now have to pay money for Marina to store boats on land,” said Radojkovič.

Radojkovič told the municipal councillors that he would give them a list of names of all those who use berths that are paid for with public money. Meanwhile, 190 vessels are waiting to get a berth in the Municipality of Piran.

Lea Širok, Radio Slovenija; translated by D.V