The number of ships calling at the ports of Varna and Burgas has not fallen in the month since the fighting began, and figures show a slight rise, transport and communications minister Georgi Peev told reporters in the village of Kaloyanovo, in the Plovdiv region.

Peev expects the effects of the war, and of strikes near Bulgarian territory, to show up later.

The government is working on conditions that would let grain farmers export their harvest, the minister said. Officials are discussing a railway crossing and preparing several steps to help exports.

The ship Chelsea-3 is at the port of Burgas, where Bulgarian authorities are investigating it. Investigators have found remains that still have to be analysed. The transport and communications ministry is in charge of organising and coordinating the operation.

On 9 October we reported that agriculture minister Plamen Abrovski said in Plovdiv that no ships to or from Bulgaria had been turned away and that the situation at the ports of Varna and Burgas was calm.

If Bulgarian authorities lack the equipment for the analysis, partner organisations with experience in such investigations will be brought in, Peev said.

Updated (20.10, 11:52): Transport minister Georgi Peev says the ship Chelsea-3 has three very serious holes in its hull and is insured. The Transport Ministry organised the tow on Saturday so that an impartial investigation can take place. The ship sails under the Maltese flag. It was attacked 17 nautical miles east of Byala, and all 15 crew members were rescued. Another ship, the HS Dignity, which sails under the flag of Guinea-Bissau, was hit by a drone and sank 17 nautical miles east of Shabla. The Military District Prosecutor's Office in Sofia has opened a pre-trial investigation after a report of a crime in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone.