Shipbuilding in Fažana

The batana, a traditional wooden vessel characterized by a flat bottom and shallow draft, rarely exceeding 5 meters in length, has long been indispensable to the fishermen of Fažana. With a significant number of fishing boats in Fažana, the craft of construction and repair has flourished alongside. At the beginning of the 20th century, Fažana boasted 47 registered fishing boats, primarily engaged in catching bluefish for the sardine factory supplying hotels on the Brijuni Islands and for export.

Situated in the vicinity of today’s boat slipway was a section of the shipyard known as “Mario Deltin,” specializing primarily in boat overhaul and repair, with traditional caulking being one of the methods employed for repairs. A distinctive feature of Fažana’s batanas was their painted sails, enabling families to recognize their returning boat from a distance. These batanas were rigged with “palatine” sails, renowned for their ability to harness two winds: the northerly burin in the morning and the mistral in the afternoon, catching the wind both from the side and the stern of the ship.

Following the Second World War, the slipway and a winch for moving boats to and from the sea remained. The shipyard was subsequently taken over by the Administration of the Brijuni Islands, and in the 1960s, it was transferred to the “Crvena zvijezda” shipyard, which eventually relocated shipbuilding operations to Pula.