Bulgarian maritime authorities are introducing emergency rules for all vessels passing through the country’s territorial sea. Captains will have to provide advance information about each ship’s location, route, cargo and possible technical problems.
The specialized report, designated SP, must be sent exactly two hours before the vessel enters Bulgarian territorial waters. It must include the ship’s name, its IMO identification number and the country whose flag it flies.
Captains must also specify the point and geographic coordinates at which the vessel will cross the maritime boundary. The expected time of entry, stated in Coordinated Universal Time, is also required, along with information about the last and next ports on the route.
The notification must separately describe the cargo. Captains are required to state whether the ship is carrying hazardous substances or gases that could endanger people or the marine environment.
The report must also include the total number of people on board, including the captain, the amounts and types of fuel, and any technical faults or defects. Contact details for the ship’s manager must be provided as well.
The measures are intended to strengthen control over vessel movements, improve shipping safety and reduce the risk of pollution in the marine environment.
The new requirements follow a series of incidents involving commercial ships in the Black Sea. On October 6, two vessels were attacked by drones near the Bulgarian coast. ALFA WATAN sank, while ABLE suffered serious damage. The Bulgarian Navy took part in the rescue operations.
Further strikes followed on October 13. The Malta-flagged CHELSEA-3 was hit near Byala, but all 15 sailors on board were rescued. Another vessel, HS DIGNITY, sank near Shabla. Five crew members were rescued, while 11 remained unaccounted for.
On October 14, a fire broke out aboard the tanker YARA J near the Romanian port of Sulina. Romanian authorities began investigating whether the vessel had been attacked by a drone. The following day, an attack on the WINE TRADER was also reported.
On October 23, the ship Khoriv was hit near Romania. One sailor was killed, and the damaged vessel began drifting before later entering Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone.
The latest serious incident occurred on October 28, when a container ship was struck by three naval drones near Shabla. All 18 sailors were rescued, but the ship sank. The vessel was carrying hazardous cargo, prompting checks for possible pollution of the seawater.
Source: dariknews.bg
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6205 | 31 Oct. 2026 | 23:50
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