Splitska vrata - Segelboot gesunken - Schiffsunfall vor kroatischer Insel: Drei Tote
What happened.
On 14 June 2026, in the busy Splitska vrata channel between Brač and Šolta near Split, Croatia, a fast scheduled passenger catamaran collided with a French-flagged sailing yacht, which sank. Eight people were aboard the yacht: four were rescued from the water, and four died — three at the scene and one recovered the next day from the wreck at 50 metres. The cause is under investigation.
On the morning of Sunday 14 June 2026, at about 11:38, a large fast passenger catamaran on a scheduled run collided with a French-flagged sailing yacht in the Splitska vrata — the 'Split Gate' channel between the islands of Brač and Šolta, near Split on the Croatian Adriatic. The catamaran was carrying 118 passengers and seven crew; the yacht had eight people aboard, Czech citizens. After the collision the yacht sank. A large search-and-rescue effort by the coastguard, port authority, police and medical services pulled four people alive from the water. Three others were found dead at the scene, and a fourth person, at first reported missing, was recovered the next day from the wreck at a depth of around 50 metres — four lives lost in all. The Split port authority said the yacht held valid documents and had been under engine, which in law makes it a power-driven vessel rather than a sailing vessel for the purposes of the collision rules. Croatian authorities described it as one of the worst sea accidents in the area in years, and opened an investigation; the cause and any responsibility had not been established, and a maritime-law expert cautioned that there was not yet enough information to draw conclusions. SeaWise records the loss factually and without assigning blame while the inquiry continues.
What it teaches.
- 1Give large, fast vessels a wide berth, and never cross close ahead. A high-speed ferry can be doing 30 knots and closes the distance far faster than it looks; its crew often cannot manoeuvre for small craft in a channel. Alter course early and obviously to pass well clear astern, rather than holding on and hoping it sees you.
- 2Under engine, a sailing boat is a power-driven vessel — 'sail has right of way' does not apply. In narrow channels and traffic lanes, small craft must keep clear of larger vessels constrained by their draft or the fairway. Know which rules apply to how you are actually proceeding, not to the rig you happen to carry.
- 3Keep a proper lookout and use AIS. A constant watch — by eye, ear and, where fitted, AIS and radar — is the first collision rule for a reason. An AIS transponder makes a small boat visible to big-ship bridges and lets you see a fast ferry's speed and closest approach early, while there is still time to act.
Where this comes from.
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Procedures involved.
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