June 25 (BTA) - An International  Maritime Forum "The Blue Future - Our Responsibility (BeFOR)
took place at the International Congress Center Burgas on June
25, which is marked internationally as Day of the Seafarer.

At the forum, nearly 20 Bulgarian and foreign experts in
education, marine insurance and law of the sea, ship and port
operation discussed topics including the maritime industry as
guarantor of a functioning economy, blue entrepreneurship
research and innovations, and maritime business in the Black Sea
 region.

"Since the beginning of 2021, the Port of Burgas has improved
its financial performance by 25 per cent compared to 2020. In
recent years the port has been making successful progress, and
we are aspiring to make it an even more attractive destination
for investments, recreation and tourism," Bulgarian caretaker
Transport, IT and Communications Minister Georgi Todorov said,
opening the forum.

Burgas Mayor Dimitar Nikolov pointed out that every meeting
giving an impetus to the conservation of the Black Sea is useful
 and added that active work is under way on projects for turning
 the Black Sea into a plastic-free sea. 

"The Blue Future - Our Responsibility" was organized by the Port
 of Burgas, the Bulgarian Shipmasters Association and the
Shipposible Marine Consultants & Correspondents in partnership
with the state-owned Bulgarian Ports Infrastructure Company.

* * *

While in Burgas, Todorov said that the preparation of a 4
million leva project for the construction of an 11 km
electrified railway between the Vladimir Pavlov Railway Station
in Burgas and the Sarafovo Airport will be awarded within a
month. The physical implementation of the project is envisaged
in Operational Programme Transport Connectivity 2021-2027, which
 is being approved by the European Commission. In his words, the
 project is very useful and the initiative is overdue, but the
good news is that it will go ahead.

Later in the day, the Minister launched construction works under
 a project for building a signalling and telecommunications
system for the Plovdiv-Burgas railway, intended to achieve
interoperability with the EU railway networks. Todorov said the
project, which is financed with 185 million leva under
Operational Programme Transport and Transport Infrastructure, is
 due for completion by October 2023. RY, RI/LG

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