A restoration project at Croatia’s Brodosplit Shipyard has collapsed after local protests over the presence of asbestos aboard the classic cruise ferry Moby Drea. Residents, citing long-standing health concerns linked to asbestos exposure in the Split area, successfully pushed the government to order the vessel’s removal, reports Maritime Executive.
The 1975-built ferry, once a fast North Sea liner capable of 27 knots, arrived at Brodosplit in July for a planned asbestos removal and refit under new ownership. Contractors were preparing to extract about 350 tonnes of asbestos from partition panels before moving the ship to Greece for continued service.
But the plan met immediate resistance. Citizens organized demonstrations outside the yard and filed petitions warning of environmental and health risks, even though Brodosplit insisted the material was safely encased and air quality tests showed no contamination. For many locals, memories of decades of asbestos-related deaths tied to a nearby factory made the project intolerable.
On August 11, Croatia’s Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure sided with residents, halting the work and ordering Moby Drea to be removed from Croatian waters by early September. Owner Med Fuel has suspended all asbestos operations and is now arranging a tow out of Split under the supervision of the local port authority.
Picture: Moby Lines
