It is a state-owned company and its main mission is connecting Croatian islands to the mainland by operating regular passenger and cargo transport services.

[1] Jadrolinija currently operates a fleet of 54 vessel: it has several large car ferries; Zadar, Dalmacija Marko Polo which are used on international routes mostly to Bari and Ancona in Italy.

Jadrolinija was founded in Rijeka on 20 January 1947 as a continuation of various smaller shipping companies which had operated along the Croatian coast since 1872.

[7] In December 2022, Jadrolinija announced a tender for the purchase of a used ferry, between 100-110 m long, 17-19 m wide and 2.9 m draft, with a passenger capacity of at least 500 in winter and 700 in summer.

The planned value of each of the ships, according to unofficial announcements, is around EUR 15 million, with co-financing by EU funds in the amount of 65 percent of their total value.

[11] Second tender led to choosing Kraljevica Shipyard as builder with a full arrangement to be concluded and ships to be built until the end of 2026.

[14] In August 2023, the state shipowner announced a public procurement worth 18.3 million euros, according to which the ships must not be older than two years.