58 000t of wheat from Brazil are arriving in port Varna today. The wheat will be used to replenish the warehouses of the State Reserve. Almost 200 000t of the inventories in it were released last year. The same amount has already been negotiated for import. Almost 20 000t of wheat will be imported from Kazakhstan at a price of USD 198 per ton. USA and Canada will import 25 000t of wheat each. The prices of the different shipments vary from USD 180 to USD 210 per ton, including transportation.
Source: Standart (05.01.2004)

Port Varna’s 2003 pre-tax operational profit is around BGN 1.5 million, the company’s Executive Director Mr. Danail Papazov announced. It is expected, however, the end the fiscal period posting an accounting loss. The USD collapse brought around BGN 1.140 million losses to the port. The processed amounts of grain foods and fertilizers have reduced significantly. Port Varna’s 2003 incomes total to some BGN 28.738 million.
Source: Pari (13.01.2004)

Varna port will invest BGN 8 million during 2004, announced the Executive Director of the company Mr. Danail Papazov. Mr. Papazov explained that the investment programme of the company includes construction of a warehouse complex, which will be used for the needs of Agropolichim and purchase of equipment.
Source: Dnevnik (13.01.2004)

Parliament adopted in the second reading the Law on Sea Areas, Domestic Waterways and Ports and decided that the ports in Varna, Bourgas, Rousse, Lom, Vidin would be public transport ports of national significance. The ports will become public state property and some parts and equipment of them may be given under concession to private companies.So far, they were private state property. Only the zones for load storage in the ports of national significance will be privatized. There will be 23 public ports of regional significance, some of them being Fish Port – Bourgas, Odesos – Varna, the oil, gas terminal and Duty Free Zone -Rousse, Sviloza – Svishtov, Belene, Petrol – Somovit, the Ferryboat Complex – Oryahovo , NPP Kozloduy, the ro-ro terminal in Vidin ,and the port in Nikopol.
Source: Pari (11.03.2004)

Privatization Agency announced a procedure for the sale of the Varna-based Water Transport Institute. The institute will be sold at an auction with open bid tender. At the auction will be sold 100 per cent of the capital of the company. The initial price is BGN 120 000 and the step for bidding is BGN 10 000. The deposit for participation in the auction is BGN 50 000.
Source: Black sea (22.03.2004)

Varna Port becomes second city center of Bulgaria’s sea capital, according to a project, developed by local architects. The region around the port will be transformed into a new city with rich infrastructure. There will be hotels and entertainment places in the complex, Arch. Encho Dimov, Director of the Varna-based architects said. He is also one of the authors of the project.
Source: Standart (14.04.2004)

National Social Security Institute published a list of the 20 “most upright employers having staff of over 250 people” for the first quarter of 2004. These 20 companies provide work for a total of 50391 people. The average social security income in these enterprises is BGN 621. 1. NPP KOZLODUY – KOZLODUY 2. LUKOIL NEFTOCHIM BOURGAS – BOURGAS 3. MINES MARITZA-IZTOK SP JSC – BRANCH PIT TROYANOVO-SEVER – village of KOVACHEVO 4. MINES MARITZA-IZTOK SP JSC – BRANCH PIT TROYANOVO – 1 – village of TROYANOVO 5. VIDIMA SEVLIEVO 6. STATE-OWNED COMPANY “AIR TRAFFIC DIRECTION” – SOFIA 7. MOBILTEL – SOFIA 8. TECHNOLOGICAL REGION OF LONG-DISTANCE COMMUNICATIONS “STTS” – SOFIA 9. BLAGOEVGRAD-BT JSC – BLAGOEVGRAD 10. MINES MARITZA-IZTOK JSC – BRANCH GROOVE TROANOVO-3 – village of MEDNIKAROVO 11. BULBANK – SOFIA 12. UNIVERSITY MULTI-PROFILE HOSPITAL FOR ACTIVE TREATMENT “ST. GEORGE” – PLOVDIV 13. TOPLOFIKATZIA SOFIA – SOFIA 14. ELATZITE-MED – village of MIRKOVO 15. STOMANA INDUSTRY – PERNIK 16. VAZOV’S MACHINE PLANTS (VMZ) – SOPOT 17. TPP MARITZA-IZTOK 2 –village of KOVACHEVO 18. BALKANPHARMA-DUPNITZA – DUPNITZA 19. PORT VARNA – VARNA 20. UMICORE MED - PIRDOP
Source: Other (08.06.2004)

The development of a new access system on the territory of Varna port will cost some BGN 250 000. The sum does not include the magnet cards, which will be given to each client, the port’s Director Mr. Danail Papazov, explained. The cards are marking the hour of entry and hour of exiting, the user’s company and location when he/she was on the territory of the port. This measure is expected to reduce the number of robberies, Mr. Papazov added.
Source: Sega (02.07.2004)

For the second year in a row, the electricity distribution company in Varna is leading the Top 100 list of the companies in Varna, the city’s mayor Mr. Kiril Yordanov announced. The second position is held by Petrol Holding, followed by Varna Airport, Oddessos shiprepair plant, the owner of the Piccadili hypermarket chain – Bolyari SP JSC, the construction entrepreneur Planex, Golden Sands JSC, etc.
Source: Pari (12.08.2004)

Bulgaria’s coastal Port of Varna said January-August profit came in at over BGN 1 mln and may well beat the full-year forecast of BGN 1.2 mln. The port has invested over BGN 10 mln over the past couple of years, prioritizing on containerized cargo. The cargo traffic recorded in the first eight months of 2004 totaled 4.730 mln tons, 400,000 tons ahead of the year-ago mark.
Source: Dnevnik (07.09.2004)

The two Black-sea ports of Varna and Bourgas need urgently EUR 10 mln for technical renovation, states a report about the condition of the sea and river business for 2003. The report was prepared by the Bulgarian Association of the ship brokers and agents. The lack of investments in the sea and river ports makes them non-competitive and draws away cargoes to ports in the neighbouring countries. In 2003 the two seaports have handles cargoes of 28 mln tons and their turnover is BGN 250 mln. The delayed privatization and concession procedures also have a negative impact on the private business.
Source: Pari (14.09.2004)

Belgian companies were willing to take part in the privatization of production capacities in the west industrial zone of Varna, the ambassador of Belgium in Bulgaria said at a meeting with the Varna region governor Yani Yanev. The ambassador pointed out that the company Solvay Sodi was interested in the concession of Port Varna. Belgium kept an eye on the development of tourism, decentralization of local authority, cultural exchange and sports.
Source: Sega (17.09.2004)

The first concession procedures for sea coastal and river ports are to be approved by the Government by the end of the year, according to the information of the Ministry of Transport and Communications. The concessions will be given for a 35-years period. The investors will be obliged to expand and modernize the existing equipment ant to operate them. An access charge paid by ships will be introduced for the use of the port infrastructure. Such charges are to be paid for the ports in Varna, Bourgas, Lom, Rousse and Vidin having national significance.
Source: Dnevnik (28.09.2004)

The auction documents for the concession of 4 Bulgarian ports are being prepared now, the head of Port Administration Executive Agency, Captain Peycho Manolov, said yesterday in Varna. Private investments will first enter Lesport – Varna, the dangerous waste wharf in the port of Varna-West, the Somovit terminal in Rousse and the ferryboat terminal in Silistra. The draft-statute of Ports National Company was ready, Cap. Manolov added. Varna Port SPJSC is very likely to be the Black-sea leading port this year, deputy minister of transport Krassimira Martinova said. In her words, by August 31 the company had raised the cargo turnover by 9.6 percent year on year. In 2003 Bourgas Port was the leader. Lesport also reported a significant increase in turnover, Martinova added. Cargoes rose by 29.8 percent as compared to 2003.
Source: Dnevnik (29.10.2004)

The National Social Security Institute (NOI) published a list of Bulgaria's 50 "most correct employers with a staff of over 250 people for the first nine months of 2004, providing work for a total of 98 555 people with an average social security income of BGN 514: 1. Nuclear Power Plant Kozloduy SPJSC - Kozloduy 2. Lukoil-Neftochim JSC - Bourgas 3. Mines Maritsa-Iztok SPJSC - Branch Troyanovo-North Pit, village of Kovachevo 9. Elatsite-Med JSC - village of Mirkovo 14. Thermo-electric power station Maritsa-iztok-2 SPJSC - village of Kovachevo 18. Port Varna 22. Pirintex Production - Gotze Delchev 24.SKGT Electrotransport, Sofia 25. Solvay Sodi - Devnya 36. Water Supply and Sewerage, Varna 39. Remotex SPJSC - Radnevo 44. Arkus - Lyaskovetz
Source: Capital market (08.11.2004)

Varna Port expects to reach record volumes of cargo shipments by the end of this year. The port forecast volumes would hit 7 mln t, which is a record in the company’s history.
Source: Monitor (17.11.2004)

The industrial ports Lesport – Varna, Somovit port and the dangerous cargo terminal in the Varna-West port will be given on a concession, the Deputy PM Mr. Nikolay Vasilev announced. The concession proposal has been put forward in the Council of Ministers, and the maximum concession term is 35 years.
Source: Sega (08.12.2004)

Port Varna reported a record-high 7 mln t cargo turnover for 2004, Bulgaria’s deputy prime minister and minister of economy Mr. Nikolay Vasilev announced yesterday. According to him, the ongoing stage in the construction of the new loose cargo terminal in Port Bourgas will be completed ahead of schedule in June 2005.
Source: Pari (15.12.2004)

Bulgaria's Varna port expects to net a BGN 1.5 million profit for 2004. By November, the company's profit stands at BGN 1.342 million. The results of the state-owned company were presented during vice premier and transport minister Nikolay Vassilev's visit to Varna Wednesday. For the year-ago period, the Varna port posted a BGN 879,000 loss, due to exchange rate differences resulting from long dollar positions. Currently payments are made mainly in euro. This year the Varna port will post record high cargo traffic of some 7.3 million tonnes. The rise is mainly due to increased transit traffic. There is also a substantial surge in the number of containers handled at the port. Also Wednesday, vice premier Vassilev visited the Bourgas port. The reconstruction and extension of the port will not be delayed, he said. The bulk loads terminal will be ready by the middle of 2005. As much as USD 63 million has been absorbed so far. The Japanese Bank for International Cooperation provides USD 118 million for the project. Budget financing for the project stands at USD 23 million, another BGN 20 million will be provided next year.
Source: Pari (16.12.2004)