Karadzhov grants concession for six terminals on the Danube

The Ministry of Transport plans to grant concessions for six port terminals on the Danube. To this end, a public tender has been launched for the preparation or updating of detailed concession analyses for sites in Vidin, Ruse, Tutrakan, and Silistra. The tender has an estimated value of BGN 390,000 excluding VAT, and bids must be submitted by August 15.

The sites included in this procedure are:

• Vidin-Center Port Terminal;
• Ruse-East 1 and Ruse-East 2 Port Terminals;
• Ruse-West Port Terminal;
• Tutrakan Port Terminal;
• Silistra Ferry Terminal.

We would like to remind you that the government has a strategy to attract private investors for large infrastructure projects for which the state does not have sufficient resources in the medium term.

The Vidin-Center Port Terminal has a total area of 52,500 square meters and includes five berths with a total length of 481 meters, three of which are suitable for passenger services. It has rail and road connections, as well as an area for cruise ship services.

The Ruse East 1 and 2 port terminals are part of the larger complex of the Eastern Port of Ruse. The first terminal has nine berths with a total length of 830 m, 14 gantry cranes, and over 64,000 sq. m of open storage areas. The second terminal has 5 berths, 3 gantry cranes, and about 18,000 square meters of open space. Both terminals have rail and road access.

Ruse West Port Terminal covers an area of approximately 118,000 sq. m and has 10 berths, 11 cranes, warehouses, and good logistics connections. Established in the 19th century, today the terminal is mainly important for the transshipment of construction materials and bulk cargo.

The Tutrakan Port Terminal is small in size, with only one berth, one gantry crane (5 tons), and a 110-meter quay line. Its total area is about 13,000 square meters, including a warehouse and an administrative building. The terminal serves local traffic and has no rail connection.

The Silistra ferry terminal has one berth for Ro-Ro operations, a 272 m quay line, one ramp, and adjacent areas of approximately 12,000 sq. m. The terminal has no rail connection but has access to the national road network.

For each of the sites, the selected contractor will have to prepare a concession justification study, documentation for the procedure, including a draft concession contract and a decision to open a concession.

We would like to remind you that it recently became clear that Plovdiv Airport is once again the focus of potential investors, with Italian companies showing strong interest in its concession with the idea of building intermodal terminals. Despite previous unsuccessful procedures, a new procedure for selecting a concessionaire is expected to be launched in the second half of this year or early next year.

The construction of an intermodal terminal in Ruse is also among the priorities of the Ministry of Transport. After unsuccessful attempts to secure European funding, the possibility of implementing the project through a public-private partnership, including through a concession, is now being considered. The Ruse project is important for serving freight traffic between the road, rail, and river infrastructure in the region.

In addition, by the end of the year, the Bulgarian government will announce a public-private partnership procedure for the development of Port of Varna, which is expected to cover the Varna-East and Varna-West terminals. Last year, it became clear that the Ferry Complex – Varna will also be concessioned.

Translated with DeepL.