The port system of the specific country is made of many subsystems that work together to create a network port, which seeks to connect all subjects at the national level. The development of individual ports greatly influences the development of the national economy. The main owner or manager of all the ports in the Republic of Croatia is the Ministry of sea, tourism, transport and development. The Republic of Croatia has established several port authorities whose aim is to create the basis for the development of the national port system, regardless of whether the ports are of international or regional importance. Some of the biggest problems in the management, development and usage of ports in Croatia is a selection of models and ways of port management, leading to reduced rationalization and increased operating costs. In addition, Croatia has a noticeable increase in the number of port authorities in few years, that is unevenly distributed since in some regions there is only one port authority, while in others several port authorities are founded due to the interests of local governments. This paper analyzes the current situation, and possible ways of improving the operation of state and county port authorities in the Republic of Croatia.