site.btaVazrazhdane Says Bulgarian Shipyards Are Put at Disadvantage by Increased Turkish Charges for Crossing Bosporus, Dardanelles

Vazrazhdane says that Bulgarian shipyards are placed in a disadvantaged position by the raising of charges for crossing the Black Sea straits by Turkiye. The party read out a declaration to that effect in Parliament Thursday. 

 They call on the Bulgarian government to raise the charges for Turkish trucks crossing Bulgaria proportionately to the increase of the charges for the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles – and use the proceeds to support the maritime sector.

They said that the charges for commercial vessels crossing the Black Sea straits were upped by “an unilateral act of the Turkish President in violation of the international convention for the Black Sea straits”. The increase was five-fold or bigger,  with a further increase of 9% to take place from July 1 without any discussion with the other Black Sea countries, Vazrazhdane MP Kosta Stoyanov said.

In their words, this put to risk the ship-building and ship repair industry, and creates a risk of loss of some 3,500 jobs in the sector and as many jobs in related industries.

Vazrazhdane say that the number of vessels calling at the Bulgarian ports have decreased since the start of 2023. The ports of Varna and Burgas have seen the number of ships down by 200 as a result of a ban on Russian vessels and the higher charges for the straits.