Macedonia: Grounded Ships Deal Blow to Tourism in Ohrid

According to the Macedonian newspaper Spic, this year’s tourist season in Ohrid will be remembered as a disappointing one – with poor weather, few tourists and now, a ban on tour boats sailing in the lake.

The harbour master in Ohrid has banned the boats from sailing as their owners refuse to pay some 7,700 euros to a French company recently contracted to conduct the safety inspection that is carried out each year.

The boat owners are upset with the Macedonian Ministry of Transport for signing the deal with the French firm, arguing that similar companies from neighboring Serbia or Bulgaria would have charged them not more than 2,500 euros for the same work.

The vessels have to renew their registrations with the newly selected French company Bureau Veritas, after Macedonia suspended its contracted with the Lloyd company, whose representative is indicted over the sinking of the tour boat Ilinden in September 2009, in which 15 Bulgarian tourists drowned.