Naval coordination centrе for ensuring security in the Black Sea opened in Varna

A naval coordination centrе for ensuring security in the Black Sea was opened in Varna on July 2. It is part of the navy and has no intelligence functions. Its main tasks are to summarize and collect information on merchant shipping in the Black Sea and to share it with NATO allies and national maritime institutions.

12 officers and civilians will work in the newly opened naval coordination centre.

Bulgaria's ambitions in the future are for it to grow into an international, NATO centre. But this, of course, is a matter of decision at NATO level, said Rear Admiral Kiril Mihailov, commander of the Navy.

The new structure of the Navy, at this stage information is exchanged automatically with the US Department of Transportation, with the virtual regional center of the Italian Navy and with our national systems, but they also have other ambitions.

Upon reaching full operational capabilities, we will be able to build connectivity with the naval operational centres of the Romanian and Turkish navies, which are our neighbouring partners, said Captain II rank Georgi Markov.

Within a year, the centre is expected to build the technical part for working with classified information, and by 2023 to receive accreditation for direct exchange of classified information with ships in the Black Sea region.