Pirates Release 11 Crew, Hold 7 Hostage off Benin
Pirates attacked a Portugal-flagged ship and kidnapped its Bulgarian captain and seven sailors off the coast of Benin, Bulgaria's foreign ministry said on Tuesday.A ministry statement said the pirates who boarded the Tommi Ritscher container ship at the port of Cotonou in the Gulf of Guinea on Sunday had released 11 other members of the crew.It said it has requested more details from Benin's foreign ministry but no information had been received so far.A representative of the Russian Embassy in Benin and Togo was quoted as saying by TASS news agency that three Russian citizens were among the hostages seized.This is the latest incident of piracy off the coast of Benin.
Vessel Grounds in the River Danube
Shipping on the river Danube was blocked in northern Bulgaria on Tuesday after a Ukrainian vessel ran aground because of low water levels, the Bulgarian maritime agency said.Efforts were being made to remove the Ukrainian ship as 15 other vessels were being held up because of the incident, near the town of Belene, an agency official said. No information was available on what cargoes those vessels were carrying.Bulgarian authorities said the Ukrainian vessel's captain would be fined for not complying with a 22-decimetre depth restriction.
Search for Missing Bulgarian Sailors Ends
The Norwegian authorities on Thursday suspended wider search and rescue operations for two Bulgarian sailors who officials say fell overboard from a cargo ship in the Norwegian Sea, the Bulgarian foreign ministry said.The two-helicopter rescue operation began around 400 kilometers southwest of the town of Bodo in the early afternoon on Thursday, but activities were severely hampered by bad weather - high winds and eight-meter-high waves, the ministry said."According to the Norwegian Joint Rescue Coordination Center, under the current climatic conditions there is no chance for those who have fallen into the water to survive for such a long time," the ministry said in a statement.The crew of the Stara Planina cargo ship consists of 19 people - 18 Bulgarian citizens and one Ukraine citizen.Th
Bulgaria Will Not Join Any NATO Black Sea Fleet After Russian Warning
Bulgaria's prime minister said on Thursday he would not join a proposed NATO fleet meant to counter Russian forces in the Black Sea as he did not want a war there, a day after Moscow warned against any build-up. Boiko Borisov said he did not want to see frigates sailing past the tourist resorts, at a joint press conference with President Rosen Plevneliev who described Bulgaria as a peaceful country. Tensions between Russia and the alliance have risen, particularly since the Ukraine crisis and Turkey's downing of a Russian jet in November. Russia, which annexed Ukraine's Crimea in 2014, has its own Black Sea Fleet based at Sevastopol.
Bulgarian Navy to Add Two New Ships by 2022
Bulgaria's navy is preparing to acquire two fully equipped multifunctional ships by 2022 in a deal estimated to cost about 820 million levs ($477.80 million), Defence Minister Nikolay Nenchev said on Thursday. The Balkan country's government approved on Wednesday plans to buy new military equipment to improve its compliance with NATO standards and cut its reliance on Russian-made machinery. "The Bulgarian Naval Forces will have two fully operational patrol ships within three and a half to six years," Nenchev said during a visit to the Black Sea city of Varna. Nenchev said the cost for the two ships, which could be used for the defence of other vessels, oil platforms and convoys and have a helicopter on board, could be cut by about 30 percent if built in shipyards in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria Awaits EU Nod To Resume South Stream Work
Bulgaria will not resume work on the Russian-led South Stream gas pipeline project until it receives the all clear from the European Commission, Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski said on Sunday. In a move that could inflame tensions between Russia and the European Union, the 28-nation bloc's executive arm last week asked the Balkan country to suspend work on Gazprom's South Stream project pending a decision on whether it complies with EU law. The pipeline is being built to transport 63 billion cubic metres of gas per year under the Black Sea through Bulgaria to central and southern Europe, bypassing Ukraine, as Russia seeks to cement its position as Europe's dominant gas supplier.
US Black Sea Naval Drills Start Near Crimea
A joint exercise involving U.S., Bulgarian and Romanian naval forces in the Black Sea started on Wednesday just across the water from the Crimean Peninsula, where Russian military groups have seized control from Ukrainian authorities. The United States says the naval exercises were planned before the crisis in Ukraine. But they send a message of resolve to NATO members nervous about Russia's intentions in its former Cold War backyard, along with reconnaissance flights over Poland and Romania near the Ukrainian border and U.S.-Polish wargames.
U.S. Black Sea naval drills start after one-day delay
A joint naval exercise of U.S., Bulgarian and Romanian naval forces in the Black Sea has started, the Bulgarian navy said on Wednesday. The USS Truxtun, a U.S. guided-missile destroyer with about 300 crew and part of the U.S. Sixth Fleet headquartered in Italy, joined the manoeuvres with Bulgarian naval frigate Drazki and three Romanian vessels in the Black Sea. The drills started across the water from the Crimean Peninsula where Russian military groups have seized control from Ukrainian authorities. "This time the exercise has begun as planned," Lieutenant-Colonel Dimitar Titev told Reuters. The drills were delayed by one day on Tuesday due to bad weather.
