Bulgarian Navy

Five Bulgarian sailors who were part of the crew aboard the hijacked ship "Ruen" have safely returned to Varna. The vessel, owned by Bulgaria and flying the Maltese flag, fell victim to piracy off the coast of Somalia last December. The Bulgarian Navy confirmed the sailors' safe arrival, marking a significant moment of relief for their families and the maritime community.

The Mine Counter-measures Task Group Black Sea, formed through an agreement among Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey in January, is anticipated to achieve operational readiness by April or May, according to Admiral Emil Eftimov, Chief of Defence for Bulgaria. The task group aims to enhance maritime safety and minimize shipping risks in the Black Sea region.

"The defense of the Black Sea is a strategic priority for NATO, and the importance and responsibilities of the Bulgarian Navy are growing every day", Defense Minister Todor Tagarev said today in his address to the cadets of the 2023 "Vasil Levski" class of the Higher Naval School (VVMU) in Varna. At an official ceremony, they received their first officer epaulettes.

Bulgarian Oscar-nominated actress Maria Bakalova christened the ship "St. Cyril and Methodius", wishing the ship to carry the glory of the Bulgarian Navy and bear the name of the illustrious brothers.

The ceremony took place on the day of liberation of Bulgaria's coastal city of Varna today.

The flight recorder of a Bulgarian Air Force MiG-29 jet fighter, which crashed in the Black Sea on June 9, has been recovered from a depth of 70 metres with the help of equipment provided by a private company, caretaker Defence Minister Georgi Panayotov said in Stara Zagora (Southeastern Bulgaria) on Thursday. 

The Council of Ministers has approved a draft contract between the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria and the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands for the purchase of two minehunters for the amount of EUR 1 996 000 excluding VAT, the government press service announced.

Bulgaria will allocate BGN 820 million without VAT to buy two multifunctional patrol vessels for the needs of the Bulgarian Navy.

This was announced by Minister of Defense Krasimir Karakachanov. The money is budgeted and voted by the Parliament. Bulgarian, German and Italian companies are bidding on the competition for the acquisition of ships, according to BNT.

The United States and 11 NATO allies began their participation in the nine-day Breeze 19, a maritime exercise hosted by Bulgaria that included three U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon patrol aircraft.

The exercise began Friday and is scheduled to conclude on July 21 near Varna in the Black Sea, according to a Naval news release Monday.

China is building six new bulk carriers for the Bulgarian Navy.

In his official facebook profile MFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) showed a picture of Bulgaria's Consul General Dimitar Pamulov in Shanghai, China, standing at the 6-ton rotor of the Bulgarian bulk ship "Rozhen", which was built in the last two years.

Italy's Fincantieri, German shipyard Luerssen and Bulgaria's MTG Dolphin have submitted bids in a 984 million levs ($570 million) tender to build two patrol ships for the Bulgarian navy, a defence ministry spokesman said on Wednesday, reports Reuters. 

The Black Sea country is looking to replace its three ageing Soviet-made patrol ships with the new vessels.