Automatic Identification System for Ships on Bulgarian Section of Danube

Ships in the Bulgarian section of the Danube river are required to sail with AIS transponder. This is the automatic identification system on inland waterways for monitoring each vessel. Bulgaria is the last of the Danube countries that are implementing the system.

With the latest changes to the Maritime Spaces Act, all ships that pass through the Bulgarian section of the Danube are required to have AIS transponders. Thus, the captains are obliged to transmit to the Bulgarian River Information System up-to-date data about their vessels. This will significantly improve the oversight. In the Bulgarian section, 8 stations will accept and decode the data, which are then displayed on an electronic map.

Apart from the fact that shipowners will have more information about the movement of their vessels, captains will be able to better informed whether in low water, for example, there is cluster of ships, which may cause difficulties for navigation. AIS transponders are also a preventive measure against smuggling.