Public Relations and Protocol

Today, the Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Hristo Alexiev held a series of meetings at the Maritime Administration - Varna in connection with resolving the situation around the trade ship Vera SU. The Minister met with representatives of the salvage company, the ship's insurer and the cargo insurer.

Due to the weather conditions, there is no change in the circumstances around the cargo ship Vera SU. The big waves today give the impression that the vessel is displaced. A representative of Maritime Administration Executive Agency is on site and monitors the condition of the ship, not reporting a change.

The President Rumen Radev, Deputy Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Christina Velinova, Minister of Culture Prof. Velislav Minekov, Chairman of the State Archives Agency Assoc. Prof. Mihail Gruev and the Director of Bulgarian Posts Deyan Daneshki validated a postage stamp. The edition is dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the State Archives establishment in Bulgaria.

The postage stamps represent an artistic archive of the most significant historical events, said Deputy Minister Velinova during the ceremony.

The Ministry of Interior, the Road Transport Administration Executive Agency and the National Revenue Agency carried out a specialized operation against unregulated taxi transport in Sofia. The inspections were carried out today through the use of the "mystery shopper" scheme. Teams from National Police General Directorate, Economic Police, Road Transport Administration Regional Directorate - Sofia and National Revenue Agency took part in the action.

A Bulgarian captain and crew should board the ship Vera Su in order to control the situation and prevent diversion. This is what the Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Hristo Alexiev ordered after the evacuation of the crew of the ship announced earlier today.

I insist that the anti-epidemic measures at Sofia Airport be strictly observed. This is what the Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Hristo Alexiev ordered in the framework of an inspection of the organization and compliance with anti-epidemic measures at Sofia Airport.

It is important that the cargo of the ship Vera Su stranded near the area of Yailata be safely unloaded, the Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Hristo Alexiev said at a briefing of the National Crisis Group. Prior to that, the General Director of Emergency and Rescue Activity DG in the Maritime Administration - Varna Rumen Nikolov informed that the vessel was stabilized and was in a horizontal position.

The barn is filled with water, which means that the cargo ship Vera SU begins to sink. This is what the Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Hristo Alexiev announced at a briefing in the Yailata area. According to him, the situation was critical, the load had shifted and the weather forecast for the coming days was not good.

"Our priority is to save lives and that is why we acted preventively at night, around 3 o'clock, we built a facility with which the crew could be evacuated", Hristo Alexiev said.

Alexander Pulev has been appointed Deputy Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications.  He holds a master's degree in finance from Oxford University and a bachelor's degree in information systems and finance from the University of Maine, USA.

His professional career passes through UniCredit Bulbank, where he has been the Director of Investment Banking for the last four years;  The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, of which he has been the Chief Banker for six years;  Transaction Consulting Manager at Ernst & Young.

Last night, all of the settings were made for the evacuation of the crew of the stranded ship VERA SU in the area of Yailata. "Actions are preventive, the State must have a preliminary plan and model of behavior, and not wait for the last moment", Minister Alexiev said. A team of nine climbers and divers have developed two parallel methods for possible evacuation - a cable car type "trolley" and a safety net.

I will not allow the case of the stranded ship near Kamen Bryag to be used for sabotage of the State by pre-election party interests, lobbyists and representatives of the administration. This is what the Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Hristo Alexiev stated at a briefing today. He announced that he had issued an order for the release of the Executive Director of the Maritime Administration Executive Agency, Captain Zhivko Petrov. The main reason was an uncoordinated deviation from the pre-approved load release technology.

The long-lasting lack of equipment and procedures for emergency situations, such as the shipwreck at the Yailata area near Kamen Bryag, is punishable by law irresponsibility, the Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Hristo Alexiev stated.

The operation to release the stranded cargo ship Vera SU is technically secured. Pursuant to an order of the Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Hristo Alexiev, the logistics plan is in force and is strictly implemented. The stranded cargo ship Vera SU was fortified with the spare anchors delivered this morning. The aim is to avoid possible displacement of the vessel in case of worsening weather conditions.

Today, the Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Hristo Alexiev signed an order saying that the competent state authorities should start immediate actions for the release of the stranded cargo ship Vera SU. For this purpose, in recent days, all responsible institutions have been involved in order to find the best and safest solution and to prevent environmental pollution.

The rescue plan for the release of the stranded cargo ship Vera SU has not been approved by the responsible institutions - the Ministry of Transport, Information Technology and Communications, the Ministry of Environment and Water and the Black Sea Basin Directorate - Varna, the Executive Director of Maritime Administration Executive Agency Capt. Zhivko Petrov said in a briefing. After getting acquainted in detail, we did not accept the part with the unloading of the ship at sea. The plan proposes to unload at least half of the cargo at sea.

I will not allow inefficient spending of funds in the implementation of train repairs. This is what the Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Hristo Alexiev stated at an unannounced inspection at Sofia and Iliyantsi railway depots.

The reason for his visit is that the information provided about the implementation of the contract under the project for maintenance of BDZ trains is unreliable. After the inspection, Minister Alexiev reported unscrupulous performance of the contract and a clear delay in carrying out major repairs.

For the second time, bus carriers will be eligible to apply for financial support. This is what the Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Hristo Alexiev stated at today's meeting with representatives of the bus industry and municipalities. According to him, the measure to support the sector, set for this year, for the first time includes large bus companies and municipal enterprises for passenger transport.

United and together, we will find a fair, non-discriminatory and adequate mechanism for allocating aid to the aviation sector. This is the conclusion of the meeting of the Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Hristo Alexiev and the representatives of the branch organizations from the aviation industry.

Hristo Alexiev put his first signature as Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications at the commemoration of the Connecting Europe Express Initiative. The act took place at a ceremony to send the train passing through Bulgaria on the occasion of the European Year of Rail.

"Currently, railway projects worth BGN 3 billion are being implemented with European funding," Hristo Alexiev said in his speech to the representatives of the European Commission.

No major violations were found at the inspections of the school buses. This is what Deputy Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Christina Velinova stated at the opening of Safe Road Infrastructure Conference. The event was held in Hissarya and was organized for the seventh consecutive year by the Bulgarian branch organization "Road Safety".