Following the European Parliament Directive 2005/44, Bulgaria had the obligation to build RIS system as a part of the trans-European network. “Bulgaria is the first Danube country to establish an administrative and operational center for ship traffic monitoring,” emphasized Ivaylo Moskovski, Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications, during the official Bulgaria RIS opening ceremony.
The infrastructure networks of inland waterways and sea shipping systems, as expected, are quite different from the open seas. The project received co-funding from the European Regional Development Fund through Transport Operational Program 2007-2013 "Improvement of navigation on sea and inland waterways".
Wärtsilä’s systems combine data from multiple sensors and overlay and map them to S-57 standard electronic cards. The sources of information are radars, AIS base stations, CCTV cameras, VHF radios. Moreover, the systems support the Vessel Tracking and Tracing Standard for Inland Navigation and Electronic Chart Display, as well as the Information System for Inland Navigation Standard. Configuration of the main system has two control centres (main and supporting) and 22 sensor sites. Subsystems include 2 new radars Solid State and 5 already existing radars; video surveillance—8 CCTV cameras (night vision and thermal imaging); 8 already existing AIS coast stations; DGPS receiver and VHF communications system.
Wärtsilä’s River Information Systems (RIS) ensure safe and secure navigation on narrow inland waterways and rivers. RIS are compliant with the relevant European standards and all specific requirements for River Information Services. The project helps to achieve the common European policy to improve the conditions for the movement of vessels on the Danube—Pan-European Transport Corridor VII, which is one of the most important axes for the development of trans-European transport network. Ensuring the safe passage of ships is a direct commitment of the Bulgarian Ports Infrastructure Company under 115 meters from the Maritime Space, Inland Waterways and Ports of the Republic of Bulgaria (LSSIWPRB).
