The Project "Establishment of River Information System in the Bulgarian stretch of the Danube River - BULRIS" BG 161 PO 004-4.0.01-0003 financed by EU funds through Operational Program "Transport" 2007-2013, Priority Axis 4 "Improving Maritime and Inland Navigation ", in which Scortel Company participated in its second phase as a partner of Transas Company - a world leader in maritime and inland coastal information systems, was completed.

The implemented system encompasses the Bulgarian part of the Danube from Kudelin to Silistra and includes VHF voice communications with ship crews, AIS messaging, radar and video surveillance in key navigation areas, effective crisis management tools. In the port areas it is provided free Wi-Fi access to the information services offered by BULRIS through the established National RIS Portal and subsystems ERI (Electronic Reporting System), NtS (Notices to Ship Drivers), NRDMS (National Reference Data Management System). The overall connectivity of the system is performed by a high-capacity radio-relay line.

The core of the system is RIS Center Rousse, where the monitoring and management of ship traffic is carried out. In addition to modern software and hardware at the disposal of the operators, there are also simulators that allow their effective training. The RIS Reservation Center is also available in Varna.

The project contributes to the implementation of the common European policy for improving the conditions for movement of vessels along the Danube - Pan-European Transport Corridor VII, which is one of the most important axes for the development of the Trans-European Transport Network. Ensuring the safe passage of ships is a direct commitment of the beneficiary of the Project - DP “Port Infrastructure” under Article 115 of the Law on Maritime Spaces, Inland Waterways and Ports of the Republic of Bulgaria (LMSIWPRB).

The direct benefits to Bulgarian business are:

• The ship crews provided with electronic navigation charts receive a much more detailed picture of traffic and environment (electronic map and dynamic data) covering a larger geographical area than it was possible with radar stations. This helps to make fast and adequate navigation decisions to optimize navigation and avoid collisions, jams or other incidents, and this increases security in our stretch of river.
• Port operators have access to real-time data from the system and the ability to timely and accurately determine the ships arrival time in ports, to plan efficiently the capacity, to better distribute according to the ship’s cargo at the different terminals, depending on the required equipment, capacity, drafting - for the optimal and more efficient use of the terminals capacity and loading and unloading facilities, as well as for shortening the cargo processing time.
• Fleet managers and shipping companies will be able to precise their travel time as well to choose alternative routes for their vessels.
• Customs, border and sanitary authorities receive pre-transmitted electronic information on cargo and passengers, as well the possibility of tracing cross-border traffic, which creates conditions for simplifying procedures and shortening the ships stay. This creates the conditions for coordination between various institutions that control cargo, ships and crews.
• Emergency and rescue services receive easy monitoring and control of dangerous goods carried along the river. And also, an opportunity for coordination of emergency management and rescue teams, when planning preventive actions to limit adverse impacts on the population and environment.