Bulgarian Ports
Infrastructure Company

For 9 years now the management of shipping in the Bulgarian section of the Danube has been carried out on the basis of a modern electronic navigation system, allowing to achieve higher efficiency of river transport, traffic management and information service for shipping on the inland waterways of Bulgaria.

The BULRIS System was opened by the Bulgarian Ports Infrastructure Company (BPI Co.) on September 10, 2015. It provides an environment for the exchange of static and dynamic data related to the safe work of shipmasters, the safety of shipping and the protection of the environment throughout the Bulgarian territory on the Danube, covering 100% of the waterway in our country. Traffic monitoring systems integrated in GIS provide important real-time information to coastal services, as well as the necessary data for the safe navigation of the ships.

For the first 8 months of 2024, 5 000 declarations for ship arrival and departure on the Danube has been processed, and port maneuvers exceeded 33 000, with transit traffic records exceeding 2 000. This is indicated by data provided by the River Information Services Authority (RIS Authority) to BPI Co.

Last year, the RIS Center Ruse hosted the joint training Danube 2024 for the simulation of an oil spill in the water area of ​​the Port Terminal Ruse West. All competent institutions participated in the initiative to improve the coordination and interaction between them.

A step in the improvement of the River Information System, implemented by BPI Co. together with partners from 13 European countries, is the development and implementation of a single European platform for access to information on inland waterways EuRIS and electronic reporting system (CEERIS). Both developments are a result of activities implemented under the RIS COMEX project. The Single Window service by river is also available to users. To support the operation of the responsible institutions, a monitoring system for non-self-propelled vessels has also been developed. With the help of the specialized motor boat BULRIS, equipped with a multi-beam echo sounder, which captures the profile of the river bottom, surveys are also carried out annually in the Bulgarian section of the Danube.