The most significant project in the port infrastructure to date is transforming the Port of Burgas into a key hub connecting Central Europe and Central Asia, the Middle East and the Mediterranean. This was announced by the Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications, Angel Zaburtov, during the completion ceremony of the Project REBIRTH28, which involved the construction of a new deep-water berth at the “Burgas West” terminal.
"Looking back 25 years, when we first started discussing port reform, the model of separating ownership from operations emerged. The idea had both supporters and sceptics, who doubted its viability. Today, we can see that the path taken was the right one. Through public-private partnership, and with the project we are inaugurating today, we have private investment, supported by European funding, alongside state investment, represented by the Bulgarian Ports Infrastructure Company (BPI Co.), which ensured the required depth of 15.5 metres to meet the project objectives," said Zaburtov. According to him, the main motivation for promoting this type of partnership is that all investments made by the concessionaires in nationally significant facilities ultimately remain state-owned.
The event was attended by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria, Rosen Zhelyazkov, the Mayor of Burgas, Dimitar Nikolov, other officials.
Project REBIRTH28 is co-financed by the Connecting Europe Facility – Transport Sector, with the beneficiary being "BMF Port Burgas" AD, the concessionaire of "Burgas West" and "Burgas East-2" port terminals. Its total value exceeds €46.8 million. The operational length of the quay is 260 m, and the water depth in front of the berth is 15.5 m.
