Navibulgar
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Shipping |
| Founded | 1892 |
| Headquarters | Varna, Bulgaria |
| Revenue |  US$267 million (2006) |
Number of employees | 4,000 (2006) |
Navibulgar stands as Bulgaria's foremost maritime shipping enterprise, managing a fleet comprising 70 vessels. This includes 46 bulk carriers, 9 container ships, 5 tankers and chemical carriers, along with 10 ships of combined tonnage. The company expanded its fleet in June 2012 by adding a new vessel with a capacity of 30,700 tonnes.[1]
Acquisitions
In 2002, Navibulgar enhanced its shipbuilding capabilities by purchasing the Varna shipyard for $16.1 million, thereby reinforcing its vertical integration strategy.[2]
The company's fleet modernization was furthered in May 2014 with the addition of the handymax bulker Wanderlust, a vessel originally commissioned in 1997 and previously under Greek ownership.[3][4]
2025 cable cutting incident
In January 2025, Swedish authorities detained Navibulgar's bulk carrier Vezhen in the Baltic Sea following damage to an undersea communication cable connecting Latvia and Sweden. The incident raised suspicions of sabotage potentially linked to Russia, similar to previous cases involving the vessels Yi Peng 3 and Eagle S. While CEO Aleksander Kalchev rejected allegations of deliberate sabotage, he confirmed that the anchor sustained damage and suggested the possibility of an accidental cause.[5]
Another ship, the Norwegian-flagged Silver Dania, was also investigated but subsequently released after inspection.[6]
On February 2, Swedish prosecutors determined that the damage was caused accidentally. Video footage revealed that waves had dislodged the anchor lock, which was then dragged while the ship was on autopilot, resulting in harm to the cable. Following this conclusion, the Vezhen was freed.[7]
References
- ↑ "NaviBulgar gets its new 30,700-tonne ship". Europost. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
- ↑ "Navibulgar Finalizes Varna Shipyard Acquisition". Marine Link. 15 April 2002. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
- ↑ "Vessel -Tradewindsnews.com". www.tradewindsnews.com. Archived from the original on 2014-05-24.
- ↑ "NMB buys Primal bulker | TradeWinds". 19 May 2014.
- ↑ "Sweden seizes ship suspected of Baltic cable sabotage". dw.com. 27 January 2025. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
- ↑ "Norway releases cargo ship in Baltic cable sabotage probe" DW.com, 31 January 2025
- ↑ Ahlander, Johan; Jacobsen, Stine (3 February 2025). "Sweden says ship broke Baltic Sea cable by accident". Reuters.