The Bulgarian Ports Infrastructure Company (BPI Co.) has become the latest member of the International Port Community Systems Association (IPCSA), with work already underway to implement a Port Community System (PCS) at Varna and Burgas ports, which handle about 35 million tonnes of cargo annually.
As the national ports authority, BPI Co. is responsible for the development and modernisation of Bulgaria’s ports, including the Black Sea ports of Varna and Burgas and the Danube river ports of Lom, Vidin and Ruse. All the ports are made up of numerous public and private terminals.
In April this year, BPI Co. awarded a €4.56 million contract to ACTUAL IT, a DBA Group subsidiary, to develop and supply the PCS. The new system is scheduled to be fully operational by 2022 and will be harmonised with the European Maritime Single Window (MSW) Environment.
The Bulgarian MSW was first developed by BPI Co. in 2010, with a new software platform implemented in 2015 that complies fully with EU requirements.
“In addition to its regular activities such as construction, maintenance and rehabilitation of the port infrastructure, wave protection and shore-strengthening facilities, etc., BPI Co. is also responsible for ensuring navigational safety at the ports through traffic control and information support,” said BPI Co. Director General Anguel Zabourtov.
“BPI Co. has made serious progress in the digitalisation of information and the implementation of digital systems for shipping traffic management and information services. It will provide effective exchange of information and reduce the administrative burden.”
“IPCSA has already created a sustainable environment for attracting good collaboration between the port authorities from all over the world. Becoming an IPCSA member is the best opportunity to benefit from the expertise of other members of the association, and will also allow us to enhance the high efficiency of our operations and to improve the quality of services and competitiveness of the Bulgarian ports.”
Implementation of the new system is expected to facilitate a greater level of electronic information exchange in the ports, providing a neutral and open electronic platform for secure transfers of information between stakeholders in the public and private sectors.
