The municipalities of Primorsko and Tsarevo and several MPs have backed a single national protocol for responding to sea accidents. Rositsa Kirova, chair of the tourism committee in the 52nd National Assembly, called a working meeting in Primorsko.

The trigger was the sea containers and cargo that washed up along the southern Black Sea coast. Primorsko mayor Ivan Gaykov, Tsarevo deputy mayor Denis Dihanov, Primorsko deputy mayor Savina Dimova and Burgas MP Galya Vasileva attended.

The protocol should set out who takes a report of an incident and who coordinates the response. It also lists the duties of several bodies: the ministries of defence, transport and communications, tourism, environment and water, and the interior. The Bulgarian Food Safety Agency and the coastal municipalities also have duties. Locally, the regional governor should lead the work.

Those present also discussed a faster response from the state and the municipalities, and how to get specialised equipment.

They backed a fast-track procedure that would let emergency vehicles onto beaches during urgent work. The condition is that institutions and municipalities coordinate their actions and follow the rules that protect dunes and natural habitats.

Other topics included advance agreements with specialist firms for sea rescue operations, which would start work at once after an incident. The idea is that, in suitable conditions, crews would pull the containers from the water before they reach the shore. They also discussed searching the shallows for possible underwater wreckage.

"The situation is an emergency and needs immediate action, as well as preparation for future incidents, so that they do not hurt the tourist image of our country," Kirova said. She said clear rules and a protocol that can be put into use are needed so that municipalities and the state act in step. The response will be much faster if every institution knows what is expected of it and has the means it needs, she said.

Vasileva said such cases show what can be improved and help find solutions that work in future. "The municipalities know local conditions best and deal with the challenges on the spot," she said. The MP said municipalities must take direct part in decisions that affect them.

A communication plan is also due, so that residents and tourism businesses get checked information in good time about the state of the coastal areas and the steps taken.

Kirova is ready to propose a joint session of the tourism committee and the environment and water committee, with the relevant ministries and maritime authorities taking part.