The Šibenik-made Shadow Patrol 47 received numerous praise and recognition at European Defence & Security Summit in Brussels
At this year's parade of the Croatian Army, the Shadow Patrol 47, better known as 'Modrulj', designed, developed and built in Šibenik by the Shadow Nautics company took a special place, while one of the four versions of the company's vessels adapted for defense, patrolling, search and rescue, received numerous praise and recognition at the recently held European Defence & Security Summit in Brussels.
The main culprit for this significant recognition of the Croatian defense industry, which was represented there by a total of seven Croatian manufacturers among 150 large companies from the EU, is 36-year-old Marko Košuljandić, a master's degree in nautical management and marina management who, shortly after graduating from the secondary maritime school in Šibenik, at the age of 20, founded the Shadow Nautics company in 2010 for servicing and maintaining yachts and ships, as well as supervising the construction of new yachts, which he himself built and still builds for customers across Europe.
Shadow Patrol 47 is a multi-purpose patrol boat intended for inspection and rescue missions at sea. The user is the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Croatia, namely the Croatian Navy and the Coast Guard. The boat is 14.5 meters long, 4.2 meters wide. Its maximum speed is 36 knots, and its cruising speed is 28 knots. Its autonomy is 270 nautical miles, and it can accommodate a crew of three. It is equipped for a multi-day stay. What is particularly pleasing is the fact that Shadow Patrol 47 is a completely Croatian product, and it represents an outstanding example of domestic expertise, resilience and innovation in shipbuilding.
Shadow Patrol 47 is designed to work in the most difficult conditions at sea and allows for a multi-day stay on board. This boat is equipped with a 1400 liter fuel tank and a 250 liter water tank. The boat is built in accordance with the highest safety standards. It is categorized for sailing on the open sea (category A – Ocean), which means it can safely sail in waves higher than 4 meters and in strong winds. It is also suitable for offshore operations (category B), i.e. sailing in all weather conditions up to level 8 on the Beaufort scale.
The development process lasted three years. From project documentation, molds, approvals to all the elements necessary for construction. Croatian companies that help with ballistic protection are also participating in the production. The hull, interior, axles, propellers, rudders and all key systems were made within the Shadow Nautics company, which seems to have even better days ahead, because there are more and more interested countries and foreign companies, and among them we should definitely single out a large French shipyard, as well as Ukraine, which plans to include this vessel in its naval corps, while there is also great interest from Pakistan and Nigeria.
