Nikolay Vassilev, Minister of Transport of Bulgaria and Peter Klein, Marketing Director of Gottwald Port Technology cut the ribbon of a new port crane - Gottwald HMK 300 E, during the inauguration ceremony at Port of Varna West. The crane was baptized to bear the name Tangra, the supreme pagan god of old Bulgarians.

Gottwald HMK 300 E is a multipurpose mobile crane with a lifting capacity of 100 t and possibility to handle 34 containers per hour. This is the first crane sold by the German company Gottwald Port Technology in Bulgaria.

The new port crane was bought by Port of Varna plc for 2.4 million euros. This new acquisition is a part of the ambitious investment program of Port of Varna. The company’s management expects that 300 000 tons will be handled by the new crane till the end of the year. In the beginning, HMK300E will work at the container terminal of Port of Varna West. Whenever necessary it will be moved elsewhere for bulks handling.

Celebration party and concert took place at Varna Passenger Terminal on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of port of Varna West.  All port staff and former managers were invited at the event.

The most modern Bulgarian port facility was inaugurated on 5 September 1974 by the head of state at that time Todor Zhivkov.  Bright and innovative construction solutions were used for the building, and labour was recruited throughout the country.

Varna West serves mainly the chemical industry of Devnya.  It has 18 berths and specialised terminals for coal, ores, cement, fertilizers, sulphuric acid and containers.  The annual cargo traffic of this port facility exceeded 5 million tons last year, accounting for nearly 80% of the total traffic of Port of Varna EAD.

Varna Passenger Terminal was a host of the first Street Art Fest 2004 which was organized by Varna Project Fund and suppoxcsdrted by Port of Varna, Condor Commerce Ltd., the city of Varna and other companies.

For two days, the youth coming from all over the country and abroad competed in the various sports originating from the street: footbag, yo-yo, skateboard, break dance, etc.  The main focus of the event was the paint covering of the 100 meters long breakwater wall which was made by the best masters of graffiti art in Bulgaria.  The unique dockside atmosphere was supported by the purposely selected music combination of hip-hop, hard cure, punk, drum and base.  The organizers are ambitious to make the festival a traditional event promoting the extreme sports and street art which is not so popular here.

Port of Varna EAD and its four component port units: Varna East, Varna West, Balchik and Perol recently obtained certification for compliance with the International Ship and Port Facilities Security (ISPS) Code.  Thus Port of Varna joined the maritime community in its efforts to apply the new security measures introduced by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to be effective as from 1 July 2004 worldwide.  ISPS code was developed by IMO following the terrorist assaults in USA on September 11, 2001.

ISPS Code is a basic tool to improve the general safety of shipping.  Is specifies and regulates the measures which need to be taken in order to prevent terrorist attacks.