MARITIME FORUM "DECARBONISATION OF MARITIME TRANSPORT - CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES"

On 06-04-2023, an international maritime forum was held in the conference hall of the Grafit Hotel-Gallery in Varna on one of the most relevant topics for the maritime sector - "Decarbonization of maritime transport - challenges and opportunities". 

More than 170 representatives of the maritime community from Bulgaria and abroad participated in the forum, including Bulgarian shipbuilding and ship repair plants, ship equipment plants, Bulgarian and foreign ship owners, representatives of the Navy, port administration, maritime administration, Bulgarian and foreign design organizations, scientific and research organizations and others. A special guest at the forum was the Mayor of Varna, Ivan Portnih.

The event was organized by the Maritime Department of "Bureau Veritas Bulgaria" EOOD (as a French classification organization) and the Bulgarian National Association for Shipbuilding and Ship Repair (BNAKK), of which "Bureau Veritas Bulgaria" is a member.

The forum discussed the regulatory requirements of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the EU to reduce carbon emissions from shipping and methods of achieving them by using alternative carbon-free fuels. The possibilities of using renewable energy sources were also discussed.

The event was opened by Mrs. Paillette PALAIOLOGOU - Vice President of Bureau Veritas SEEBA Zone, who welcomed the guests. Speakers were Dr. John Kokarakis - BV Technical Director for SEEBA Zone, and Vassilios Dimolas - BV Technology and Innovation Director for SEEBA Zone, who gave interesting presentations on the topic. The hosts of the forum were Mr. Stanimir Smilkov, manager of Bureau Veritas Bulgaria and Mr. Yordan Minkov, head of the Maritime Department.

The upcoming Bulgarian participation of Pavlin Nadvrni in the round-the-world tour for solo sailors "Global Solo Challenge" - the "Everest" of ocean sailing - was presented to the participants.