Bulgaria's Govt Sets Up Danube Navigation Info System

Bulgaria's government has moved to set up a Danube River Information System for the river's Bulgarian section called BULRIS. Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria's government has moved to absorb EU money for the creation of an information system of the navigation of the Danube River.

Earlier this week, the Transport Ministry and the Bulgarian Ports Infrastructure Company, a government body, signed a contract for financial aid from the Ministry to the Company for the creation of the info system that will cover the Bulgarian section of the Danube, the Transport Ministry announced Sunday.

The project will cost BGN 35.4 M, with 85% of that coming from EU funds under the Operational Program Transport, and 15% - from the national budget. The Danube navigation information system is the first Bulgarian project under Priority axis IV - Improvement of the Maritime and Inland-waterway Navigation."

The Danube info system is supposed to help harmonize the information services for river navigation within the EU. Bulgaria is obliged to set up an info system for river navigation that should be part of the European network. The use of the so called River Information Services (RIS) is supposed to make the navigation of inland waterways in Europe safer and more efficient.

By the end of 2013, the Bulgarian Ports Infrastructure Company is planned to complete the telecommunications infrastructure for the river information system in the Bulgarian section of the Danube, which is called BULRIS. The system will feature constant data exchange between 16 stations on the Bulgarian Danube coast.  

The setting off of the BULRIS project comes after the Danube navigation in the Bulgarian-Romanian section of the river has been stalled for months because of its low level. Experts say the problems could have largely been avoided with investments in the improvement of the waterway.

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