A traffic accident on the maritime route occurred on 15 August in the afternoon, when a vessel struck the structure of the bridge connecting the islands of Ugljan and Pašman. The incident took place at the location known as Ždrelac bridge, and footage of the incident, filmed from the direction of the settlement of Dobropoljana on the island of Pašman, documents the moment of the collision. According to available information, the sailor was approaching the bridge from the direction of the boat Morski HR Jurica Gašpar.
The Ždrelac bridge represents a critical point for navigation as its height is exactly 16.5 metres. This is the absolute limit for vessel passage; if the boat's mast is higher than the stated height, passage under the structure is physically impossible. Despite this, every charter vessel is required to have a sticker warning of the bridge's height, and clear visual signs are placed on the bridge structure itself to serve as additional warnings to captains.
The navigational channel passing under the bridge is strictly regulated and marked with 6 red and green pillars, which indicate the correct direction of passage to vessels. The width of the passage directly under the bridge is 20 metres, allowing for relatively free manoeuvring space, although the depth of the channel in that section is 4.3 metres. The combination of mast height restrictions and the specific dimensions of the passage requires sailors to exercise exceptional attention and precision when passing through this narrow part of the Adriatic.
