Ministry of Transport, Information Technology and Communications

Bulgaria is the first country from the sea region to launch a system for effective control of the sea environment contamination as result of the navigation - VTOPIS (Vessel Traffic Oil Pollution Information System). The presentation of the system to the public will take place tomorrow, November 22, at 13 o'clock, in the Building of Sea Administration, Varna.

The system is unique not only in the Black sea region, but in Europe as a whole. The results of its performance will be presented to the European Agency for Sea Security (EMSA) and suggestions for the implementation of the gained experience  in the mainframe of the European system for control of the navigation will be made;

The nomination of Bulgaria by the Black Sea Commission for the building of the pilot project VTOPS comes as a result of the availability of  a modern system for traffic control (VTMIS), started in the year 2004.

As EU member country Bulgaria is obligated to present information for the navigation in the European information System SafeSeaNet. The successful accomplishment of VTOPIS is one of the elements, part of the fulfillment of these engagements.

VTOPIS is a complex of six subsystems, accomplishing the following functions:

- Processing an information on delivering of vessels garbage in the ports of Varna and Burgas;

- Processing and control of the accomplishment of the issued licenses for operations which are potentially dangerous for the environment;

- Processing of the incoming contamination signals, as well as preparation of graphical statistics on a electronic map;

- Real time control of the navigation traffic;

- Simulation of events taken from the archive of the system;

- Modeling of the movement of oil spots, according to the data of the hydromеteorologiсal sensors of the traffic control system.

For additional information:
Gergana Grozdeva, Press Centre,
Ministry of Transport
Phone: 940 96 25
E-Mail: ggrozdeva@mt.government.bg