ECONOMY
RUSSIAN AND BULGARIAN PORTS TO JOIN TRANSBLACK SEA TRANSPORT SYSTEM
Ferry service between Russia’s Black and Azov seaports and Bulgarian seaports of Varna and Burgas will start within the next few years. They will be an extra link to already existing ferry lines between Ukraine, Georgia and Bulgaria to form a regional transBlack Sea transport system.
The matter concerns establishment of the ferry network Varna-Azov and regular Novorossiysk-Varna ferry traffic. According to the trade mission of the Russian Federation in Bulgaria, these issues are being discussed by the expert group of the Bulgaria-Russia Commission on trade and economic cooperation and via top level talks. Such projects are also recommended by the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), which affiliates also 11 countries along with Bulgaria and Russia.
The main point of this idea is to combine Bulgarian Danube ports into a single transport network by 2009-2010 - through Ruse-Varna railway and transBlack Sea ferries. To this end, joint construction of the container terminal at the Ruse (Bulgarian biggest port on the Dunabe) worth €8 million is scheduled as well.
New traffic interchange is being created between Bulgaria and Greece, Macedonia and Bulgaria, Bulgaria and Serbia.
Construction of a new oil pipeline (largely for the Russian oil) between Black and Aegean Seas (Burgas-Alexandroupolis) is scheduled to start soon.
Preferential tariffs are to be slapped on cargo and passenger transit among BSEC member countries.