Bulgarian ferry to sail from Varna to the Caucasus

The first Bulgarian ship along the ferry line Varna-Caucasus will sail from the port of Varna on its first trip early next year. This was announced by CEO of Bulgarian River Shipping Rousse (BRS) Dragomir Kochanov, cited by Varna24.bg.

Together with Navigation Maritime Bulgare (Navibulgar), BRS is a co-owner of Varnaferry, which will service the only ferry line between Bulgaria and Russia on the Bulgarian side.

According to NMB's Captain Ivan Valchev, the most realistic plan is for the ship to be ready by March 31 next year. On Thursday, December 13, the new Bulgarian ferry was launched by Varna Shipyards' MTG Dolphin PLC, Dragomir Kochanov added. All major improvements and repairs have been carried out, only finishing works are still to be completed, Kochanov explained.

Varnaferry bought "Sondos" roll-on/roll-off ship (Author's Note: to transport vehicles) by a company from the United Arab Emirates. "Sondos" was built in 1994 in the Ukrainian city of Mikolaiv. Until Varnaferry bought it, it carried cars in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. "Sondos" was brought in MTG Dolphin PLC in order to be transformed into a combined ferry boat to carry waggons and trucks. In the factory, the ship was extended, widened and significantly upgraded, Dragomir Kochanov said. Totally improved in this way, the ship can carry 42 waggons on the upper deck and 25 trucks on the lower. The new Bulgarian ferry will also offer luxury cabins for crews of commercial vehicles. After the finishing works, "Sondos" will be renamed to "Varna" and will be manned by 20 crew members, Kochanov explained. "Varna" will be larger and more modern than the two Russian ships servicing the ferry line Varna-Caucasus. Our ferry will fully meet the difficult conditions for navigation in the port of Caucasus's shallow water area. BRS's Chief declined to specify Varnaferry's investment in the new ferry.

Since the line's opening on March 3, 2009, transport has been carried out by two Russian ships only - initially, only by "Avant-garde," which was later joined by "Slavs". The new ship will run approximately 50 full courses (Bulgaria-Varna-Caucasus) annually. This means more than 4,000 waggons and more than 2,000 trucks, which will be further processed by Varna Ferry Complex.

Прочети цялата новина

Свързани новини: