Two private companies are inspecting automatic identification system (AIS) equipment on commercial vessels registered in Montenegro, but the Maritime Safety Administration says the work is not exclusive to them. The disagreement matters to vessel owners who say AIS inspections and certification were required before they could register their boats with port authorities in Bar and Kotor.
Manat Marine, based in Bar, and Yacht Electronic Service, based in Herceg Novi, received authorisations during the summer of 2026 to inspect AIS equipment and issue reports on its condition, according to information from the Maritime Safety Administration. The authority’s recently appointed director, Jagoš Boričić, said the administration does not restrict the work to those two companies.
A letter from the Yacht Register to vessel owners had presented Manat Marine and Yacht Electronic Service as the only firms authorised to inspect AIS devices and certify them on behalf of the state. Boričić disputed that description, saying the companies had relevant approvals but were not the only providers that could carry out the work in Montenegro.
Owners of tourist boats and excursion speedboats said they had been asked to obtain AIS inspections and certification as a condition of vessel registration at the port authorities in Bar and Kotor. They said they paid private companies for the services. The information does not specify the fees or how many vessels have been inspected.
AIS requirement applies to passenger boats
The obligation to install and use AIS transponders applies to boats registered in Montenegro for commercial passenger transport and fishing. The Ministry of Maritime Affairs said the requirement for vessels registered for commercial passenger transport in internal marine waters and the territorial sea was already included in the 2013 Law on Maritime Safety, although it had not previously been strictly enforced for various reasons.
On 20 May 2025, the ministry amended the Rulebook on Determining a Boat’s Seaworthiness to set out the AIS requirement more precisely. Under the amended rule, passenger boats covered by articles 16, 17 and 18 must carry a Class B AIS device, except boats up to 5 metres long with restricted navigation.
Around 400 speedboats and excursion boats operate in the Bay of Kotor to carry passengers. All are required to have AIS devices and keep them switched on continuously. The equipment transmits data about the vessel’s identity, course and speed, making its operation a continuing requirement rather than a check limited to the registration process.
The ministry said its amendment dealt only with the rules for AIS and did not designate the legal entities that could inspect equipment or issue reports. It said it had exercised “exclusively its normative authority” in adopting the rulebook, leaving the question of individual service providers outside that decision.
Technical supervision of ships and other vessels, including inspection of ship equipment, was carried out by the Maritime Safety Administration before the new Law on Maritime Safety came into force. The authority was then called the Maritime Safety and Port Management Administration. The new law has applied since 7 January 2026.
Approval routes remain open to other providers
The ministry said any authorisation for Manat Marine and Yacht Electronic Service could have arisen from an act or practice of the Maritime Safety Administration, rather than from the ministry’s rulebook or a decision by the ministry. At the time the Yacht Register sent its letter, the administration was led by Nebojša Kaljević of the New Serbian Democracy party.
Boričić said AIS inspections could be carried out by “qualified persons who hold appropriate authorisations” from the maritime administration or a recognised organisation. He said the two companies provided services on the basis of relevant approvals, but that this did not make them the only firms able to do the work in Montenegro.
Montenegro has agreements transferring certain statutory responsibilities to four recognised organisations: Bureau Veritas (BV), RINA Services, the Croatian Register of Shipping (CRS) and China Classification Society (CCS). The agreements allow those organisations to use approved subcontractors and providers of auxiliary technical services, and they are recorded on the official portal of the European Maritime Safety Agency.
Technical rules for approving manufacturers and service providers also allow acceptance of results from companies approved by members or associate members of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS). In information cited by the administration, Manat Marine holds a Bureau Veritas certificate, while Yacht Electronic Service holds certificates from Bureau Veritas and RINA.
Boričić said the administration applies “equal criteria” when accepting reports from providers that meet the prescribed professional and technical requirements. The authority’s position leaves open the possibility for other qualified providers to submit reports, while the Yacht Register letter had described the two companies as the only firms authorised to certify AIS devices on the state’s behalf.
Haris Husić, a member of the Europe Now Movement (PES) and former director of the Maritime Safety Administration, founded Manat Marine and is its owner and director. The company is one of the providers carrying out AIS inspections and issuing condition reports; Yacht Electronic Service performs the same services from Herceg Novi.
The ministry’s statement on the rulebook came while Filip Radulović of the Europe Now Movement was maritime affairs minister. The distinction at issue is between the ministry’s regulation requiring AIS equipment and the administration’s acceptance of inspection reports, with the latter determining which providers can supply reports that satisfy the technical requirements.
