| Port of Varna | |
|---|---|
 Port of Varna | |
 Interactive map of Port of Varna | |
| Location | |
| Country | Bulgaria |
| Location | Varna |
| Coordinates | 43°11′32″N27°54′26″E / 43.19222°N 27.90722°E /43.19222; 27.90722 |
| UN/LOCODE | BGVAR |
| Details | |
| Opened | 1906 (Varna-East), 1976 (Varna-West) |
| Type ofharbour | Natural/Artificial |
| No. ofberths | freight: 19 (Varna-West), 13 (Varna-East); passenger: 1 (Varna-East) |
| max. draft | 11.2 m (Varna-West), 11.5 m (Varna-East) |
| max. air-draft | 41.5 m. (Varna-West), unlimited (Varna-East) |
| Statistics | |
| Annual cargotonnage | 7,100,000tonnes (2020)[1] |
| Annualcontainer volume | 160,000TEU's (Varna-West, 2018) |
| Annualrevenue | EUR 26 million (2020)[1] |
| Website Port-Varna.bg | |
Port of Varna (Bulgarian:Пристанище Варна, Pristanishte Varna) (map) is the largestseaport complex inBulgaria. Located on theBlack Sea's west coast on Varna Bay, alongLake Varna and Lake Beloslav, it also comprises the outlying port ofBalchik. It has a significant further development potential with 44 km (27 mi) of sheltered inland waterfront on the lakes alone, easily accessible by road and railroad and adjacent toVarna International Airport.
There are two anchorages at Varna roadstead: summer and winter. If violent northeasterly wind and wave conditions make the anchorages hazardous, a foul weather anchorage is available west of the 70 m (230 ft) high CapeKaliakra 26 nautical miles (48 km) east-northeast of Varna.
Two inland canals connect the sea and Port ofVarna East with Lake Varna, Lake Beloslav and Port ofVarna West: Channel 1 with draft 11.5 m and Channel 2 with draft 11.0 m. The canals form an island (Острова) on which a deepwater oil terminal, among other port facilities, is currently located. The depths of the shipberths and the approaches allow the handling of vessels of capacity up to 50,000 gross tons. In view of the stated safe canal depths, only vessels of draft less than 9.9 m (32+1⁄2 ft) and aircraft up to 46 m (151 ft) are allowed to Varna West. Vessels with load over 200 m, beam over 26 m, or over 20,000 gross tons are required to pass the channels during daylight hours only. The largest vessel handled (as of 2006) is theNorwegian Dream cruise ship (220 m in length, 50,700 gross tons).
Port of Varna offers full service: loading,discharging,stevedoring,freight forwarding,storage and variousintermodal services.
East terminal[2]
West terminal
It has a well-forked railway and road network. The existing port facilities allow the handling of practically all kinds of solid bulk, break-bulk, containerized and some liquid-bulk cargoes.
Principal exports include urea, soda ash, cement, clinker, silica, fertilisers, grain, containers and ro-ro.Principal imports are coal, metals, ores and ore concentrates, oil, phosphates, timber, molasses, containers and ro-ro.
Since 2006, Port of Varna serves as a hub forBP and Germanwind turbine manufacturer Saga.
In 2008, the port posted a 57% growth in overall tonnage handled, and at times in late summer it was stretched beyond capacity, due to redirected cargo from striking ports in the region and the year's record export of wheat from northeastern Bulgaria.
The updated general plan for the Port of Varna to 2020 was approved in 1999. Major projects for new construction, reconstruction and modernization include: a deepwater container terminal and a ro-ro terminal on the island under theAsparuhov most bridge, a grain terminal on the north shore of Lake Varna south of theDry Port storage base, a liquid chemicals terminal and a cement and clinker terminal at Varna West, and modernization of the passenger and ro-ro terminals at Varna East.
In 2007, new plans were disclosed to relocate the container terminal from Varna East to a new larger basin on the northeastern shore of Lake Varna and to redevelop old port Varna East, located in the city centre, into a large marine attractions zone with a new cruise terminal, yacht marina, apartments, hotels, restaurants, museums, exhibitions, shopping, and other tourist facilities.
In 2008, plans were disclosed for another deepwater container terminal on the south side of the island for vessels carrying over 2500twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU).
A liquified petroleum gas terminal is also being developed atBeloslav. Amidst the gas crisis of early 2009, discussions started of a new liquified natural gas terminal on 30 hectares (74 acres), possibly on the northwestern shore of Lake Varna atEzerovo.
Also in 2008, discussions were resumed (suspended in 1981) for a 192 km long navigable canalRousse–Varna connecting the lower riverDanube with the Varna lakes and the Black Sea, but this enterprise is still considered economically unfeasible and utopian by many.
Other existing port terminals include theCruise Terminal; Petrol, LesPort, and Varna Thermal Power Plant (handling oil, timber, and coal respectively); theRailroad Ferry Terminal, which is not part of the complex, is located on the south shore of Lake Beloslav opposite Varna West.
In June 2023 theEuropean Investment Bank signed an agreement with Logistic Centre Varna EAD for a €50 million loan to co-finance a new grain terminal at the Black Sea port of Varna, expected to be operational in 2026.[3]
