Macedonia: Tourist Ships Banned from Sailing in Lake Ohrid
BalkanTravellers.com
All vessels have to renew their registrations with the French company Bureau Veritas, which will inspect them, after Macedonia suspended its contracted with the Lloyd company, according to the ministerial order cited in national media.
The Lloyd representative in the country is indicted over the sinking of the tour boat Ilinden in the beginning of September 2009, when 15 Bulgarian tourists drowned.
Over the weekend, the ships’ owners protested over the choice of the French company, which will charge 7,500 euro for each inspection and renewed registration, while the offer by the Bulgarian ship register for the same service was 1,500 euro.
In addition, the ship owners claim that if they start the renewed registration procedures now, it will take a long time and they will miss the summer season.
The German company Lloyd refused to extend its contract for the registration and control over Ohrid’s sailing vessels 15 days before it expired, media reported.
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excellent smugs
