"Seagul" - famous Josip Broz Tito's ship will be offered for sale on an uaction in Rijeka, on May, 9th, 2006 - starting price 130.000 eur

"Seagul" ship which was used by the former Yugoslavian president Josip Broz Tito for official state visits and vacation, will most probabley sold on the auction scheduled for May, 9th, 2006, in Rijeka. "Seagul" is 116 meters long, 8.7 meters high, it has 5 decks and a weight limit of 1.93 tones. The ship is now in the ownership of the American ship owner of Greek origin, John Paul Papanicolau, and it was made in Italy in 1938, under the name "Romb", after which it was in the property of Germans. The English attacked it in 1944, and after the Second World War it was redecorated into a residential ship of Josip Broz Tito.

After SFRJ broke down, "Seagul" was transported to Montenegro, and Montenegro government then sold it to the Greek who transported it to Rijeka.

It is estimated that this ship is worth today at least 150.000 eur, but its starting price at the auction would be 130.000 eur, or how some say, less than it would be worth if sold only as the old wreck.

"Seagul" is being sold within the request for non-paid bills of Papanikolau, who has kept the ship tightened in shipyard "Viktor lenac" for almost 3 years.