Activity Centre on Environmental Safety Aspects of Shipping (AC ESAS),

Varna, BULGARIA

Main sector of work (according to BS SAP)

• Regional approach to emergency response, particularly the international response to accidents involving the extraction, maritime transport, handling and storage of oil and  hazardous chemicals;
• Appropriate port reception facilities;
• Contingency planning and emergency response, including the Black Sea Contingency Plan;
• Regional aspects of implementation of the MARPOL Convention;  
• Elaboration of common port-state control procedures;
• Relationship between Ministers of Transport and Environment, relevant institutions and governmental bodies, international organizations and the private sector (shipping, oil and gas industries), etc.

Additional Fields

• Main activities of the BMA, implemented by its Marine Environment Protection and Control Department (MEPC):
• Control and protection of the Black Sea environment and the Danube River from pollution caused by shipping; 
• Investigations in cases of marine pollution;
• Inspections of ship's documentation, connected to protection of the marine environment;
• Inspections of ship's construction and equipment for prevention of pollution; 
• Implementation of the MARPOL 73/78 Convention, as well as OPRC and CLC conventions;
• Contingency planning and emergency response;
• Port reception facilities and port waste management plans;
• Imposing fines and penalties according to the national law.

Other activities of the BMA:

• Safety of shipping in the Bulgarian sea waters and the inland navigation waterways;
• Port State Control and Flag State Control;
• Control of the traffic in the channels and ports;
• Search and rescue operations;
• VTMIS;
• Preparedness and response in case of an accidental pollution at sea;
• Preparation and issue of the certificates for seafarers

List of projects / activities carried out under the Black Sea Environmental Programme 1992 – 2004 – or other international projects / programs, etc.

• Development of maps showing possible sources of pollution, environmental sensitive areas and priorities for protection to Annex 2 of the Regional Contingency Plan, BSERP, 2003.
• Preliminary Investigation Regarding Development of a Black Sea Vessel Traffic Oil Pollution Information System (VTOPIS), BSERP, 2003.
• The other AG ESAS activities, connected to the Black Sea MoU on Port State Control, the Regional Contingency Plan, Oil Spill Web page, training activities, etc. were funded by sources outside of BSEP and BSERP, namely: International Maritime Organization, Danish Environmental Agency, World Bank, US Department of Energy, UNDP, NOAA, etc.

The Activity Centre on Environmental Safety Aspects of Shipping is based in the Marine Environment Pollution and Control Department of the Bulgarian Maritime Administration (BMA), Varna Directorate.

Year of establishment: 1999.

The core ESAS staff:(from left to right ...., ....., Mr. Lyubomir Stoyanov, Mr. George Balashov

Oil identification laboratories:

Current responsibilities under the Commission on the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution

The AG ESAS is an integral part of the Black Sea Commission institutional structure and constitutes its subsidiary body. AG ESAS acts in advisory and information capacities for the regional purposes of the Black Sea Commission by formulating and proposing the regional policies and specific actions for all environmental safety aspects of shipping, including:

Drafting recommendations and policies upon the request of the Black Sea Commission;

advising the Contracting Parties through the BSC in implementing of the international conventions and tools available in the area of the protection of the marine environment, in particular contingency planning and emergency response, port reception facilities, measures to prevent illegal discharges of wastes from ships, dumping and dredged spoils, harmonization of the environment legislation, enforcement system, including imposed fees and fines in the region;

Coordination, preparation of recommendations and documents regarding further revisions of the Regional Black Sea Contingency Plan, Protocol on the Movement of the Hazardous Wastes, identification of the marine sensitive areas, monitoring of the shipping traffic and operational and accidental marine pollution, prevention the invasion of exotic species through deballasting of ships, regional training exercises, etc.

Number of employees (by sector / scientific, field of expertise / scientific degree)

1. Lyubomir Angelov Stoyanov – Head of department, MEPC,

2. George Dimitrov Balashov – senior inspector, MEPC,

3. Veselin Ivanov Vasilev - senior inspector, MEPC, environmental engineer

4. Veneta Yordanova Georgieva - senior inspector, MEPC, Master’s degree in Marine Ecology

5. Neli Stefanova Staykova – laboratory expert, MEPC

Information resources: (computers, services, library data (number of book / publications aprox.), GIS facilities, GIS data)