Bulgaria will acquire a new rescue boat for search and rescue in the Black Sea with funding from the European Union. The vessel is expected to be adopted in 2027, and its construction should be commissioned by the Executive Agency "Maritime Administration" by the middle of the same year. The information was reported by Maritime.bg, quoted by "Focus".
The boat will be up to about 30 meters long and will be part of the "Maritime Administration". According to Maritime.bg, the European funding will be directed towards a smaller vessel than the large multifunctional vessel envisaged in the previous project, designed for operations in various hydrometeorological conditions in the Black Sea.
The decision comes after the KAIROS incident
The need for new rescue equipment became particularly visible in the incident with the tanker KAIROS. After a Ukrainian attack, the vessel was abandoned by a Turkish tug in the territorial sea of Bulgaria.
A partial non-medical evacuation of sailors by helicopter was carried out during the operation. The reason was that the available services did not have a vessel that could reach the tanker in waves of 1.5 meters high, representatives of the institutions indicated at the time.
Prime Minister Rumen Radev announced in Varna the urgent need for new rescue equipment. Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov also stated in Varna that the acquisition of specialized SAR vessels is imperative.
The previous project was canceled in 2023.
The project for a multifunctional rescue ship, announced after the accident with the motor ship VERA SU near Yaylata, was canceled in 2023. Meanwhile, over 14 million leva were spent from the state budget for a 40-year-old polar research ship.
Currently, search and rescue operations in the Bulgarian area of responsibility are carried out with the available funds of the Executive Agency “Maritime Administration“, the Navy and the General Directorate “Border Police“. The Ministry of Transport has also provided funds for a specialized multi-purpose rescue ship in the budget plans for the period 2025-2028.
The Border Police and the Navy were also activated during the transfer of the rescued crew to the ABLE ship, as well as during the subsequent inspections in the area of the incident. The new boat should increase the capabilities for responding to accidents and rescue operations in the Bulgarian maritime zone.
Sources: focus-news.net