Experts from the maritime industry will gather at the International Congress Center - Burgas on December 11th and 12th, 2025 for a national conference. The event is dedicated to improving the safety of navigation and emergency preparedness in the territorial waters of the country and the aquatory of Bulgarian ports, according to the State Enterprise "Port Infrastructure".

Representatives of key ministries and institutions are invited to the meeting, including the Executive Agency "Maritime Administration", the Bulgarian Navy, the General Directorate "Border Police", port operators, as well as scientific and technical organizations. The roles of the different departments in ensuring maritime safety will be examined, the need to increase the expert capacity of the Navigation Safety Commission to the Council of Ministers, and measures to strengthen the protection of ports and aquatories will be discussed.

Proposals for legislative initiatives aimed at improving the actual implementation of navigation safety standards, as well as mechanisms for more effective interaction between institutions, are expected to be presented.

The meeting is relevant in light of the case of the tanker "Kairos", which ran aground near Ahtopol. The incident triggered the evacuation of the crew and increased maritime patrolling, highlighting the need to strengthen maritime safety and readiness in emergency situations. The Turkish Ambassador to Bulgaria, Mehmet Uyanık, stressed that the operation with the tanker was carried out by a private Turkish company without prior notification to the Turkish state.