Inquiries for ship repairs at Bulgarian shipyards fell by 40% to 60% in October compared with the same month in 2025. Production workload declined by 20% to 60%, while contracts for the repair of nine vessels worth a total of more than €4.2 million were canceled, the Bulgarian National Association of Shipbuilding and Ship Repair reports.
The industry attributes the decline to military hostilities and the deteriorating shipping environment in the Black Sea. Data from satellite monitoring systems are cited as an additional indication, according to which traffic through the Bosphorus fell by nearly 50% in October compared with October 2025.
Almost no new inquiries in Varna
At „Terem-Flotski Arsenal“ in Varna, the volume of work began to decline as early as the end of last year. Since the beginning of September, the company has received no new inquiries, while confirmed orders for 2027 are half as many.
„Last year we had around 55 ships, while this year so far we have 28-30 ships,“ said the company’s manager, engineer Danail Slavov. According to him, two contracts for ships worth more than €1 million have been canceled, while other orders could be redirected to Turkey.
A similar trend is being observed at the other ship repair companies in Varna. Svetlin Stoyanov, executive director of MTG „Dolphin“, said that shipowners are increasingly avoiding sending their vessels for repairs in the Black Sea because of the risks along the route.
Thousands of jobs at risk
The decline in orders is already affecting employment. According to Danail Slavov, around 5,000 people are employed at the four ship repair yards in Varna, while approximately 10,000 more are indirectly employed in the sector as a whole. The manager of „Terem-Flotski Arsenal“ said that layoffs had already begun at the company.
The Bulgarian National Association of Shipbuilding and Ship Repair is calling on Bulgaria to propose a special compensation mechanism for the maritime industry to the European Commission. The idea is to support companies that can prove economic losses caused by military risk.
On October 20, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said that there had been no decline in commercial shipping traffic to Varna and Burgas compared with the same period of the previous year. This refers to the number of ships serving Bulgarian ports, while data from the ship repair industry indicate a decline in inquiries and repair orders.
The association warns that without swift measures, the consequences could affect not only ship repair, but also ports, shipbuilding, logistics and related suppliers.
Sources: bntnews.bg, maritime.bg