The expanded marina in Napajedla in the Zlín region has begun to serve the public

Napajedla – Napajedla (Zlín Region) July 10 (ČTK) – Today, an expanded dock began serving the public on the banks of the Morava River in Napajedla, Zlín Region. It has double the capacity for mooring boats compared to before. It also offers more comfortable facilities for their crews, said Jan Bukovský, spokesman for the Czech Republic's Administration of Waterways (ŘVC) to ČTK. The work, costing nearly 21 million crowns excluding VAT, began in February and was financed by the State Fund for Transport Infrastructure. The dock is part of the infrastructure of the Baťa Canal, which partially follows the Morava River's course.

After the completion of the construction, the length of the dock edge has been extended from 45 to 85 meters. "Napajedla is among the most sought-after stops on the northern part of the Baťa Canal, and interest in the dock grows every year. The original dock, built in 2009, unique for its location in immediate proximity to the city center, was no longer sufficient in capacity, which is why we expanded it to nearly double its length. Thanks to the modernization, it now offers more berths for recreational vessels and more comfortable facilities for visitors who arrive by water to explore the city and its surroundings," said ŘVC director Lubomír Fojtů.

The construction was carried out by the company Inženýrské a dopravní stavby Olomouc. Since May, the work has continued alongside the operation of the Baťa Canal. "It was essential to carefully coordinate the individual tasks to ensure they were completed on time and to the required quality. The result is a modern dock with new docking edges, seating steps, and safe mooring elements that will serve visitors for many more years," said Jaromír Zajíček from the construction company.

Since the expansion of the dock, the mayor of Napajedla, Robert Podlas (for ANO and the Napajedla Forum), is promising the development of tourism in the city. "The Baťa Canal is an important part of tourist traffic in our city, and high-quality facilities for visitors arriving by water help the development of local services and businesses," Podlas stated.

Part of the construction includes the extension of the pier on both sides of the original dock, seating steps with the inscription Napajedla, new access stairs, deepening of the navigation channel, and new mooring elements for the safe docking of boats. At the dock edge, the builders modified the bottom to ensure a minimum navigation depth of 1.5 meters and reinforced it with stone aggregate.

In the future, the construction of docks for dozens of boats is planned on the Baťa Canal in Kroměříž, in Staré Město in the Uherské Hradiště region, in Hodonín, or in the Pahrbek area near Napajedla. Investors are also preparing the construction or expansion of docks and marinas at other locations. However, in some cases, they face objections from environmental activists, who are delaying the start of construction.

Every year, tens of thousands of people visit the Baťa Canal. Originally serving cargo transport, it is now primarily used for recreation. The navigable length between Otrokovice in the Zlín Region and Hodonín is approximately 60 kilometers, with plans to extend the canal in the coming years as far as Kroměříž. People can navigate on it using excursion boats, and smaller boats can be rented at the docks.