Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov announced a proposal to establish a multinational maritime coordination centre in Bulgaria to enhance shipping security in the western Black Sea.
The initiative, unveiled after a summit in Paris on peace and security in Ukraine, aims to counter growing threats to commercial and critical infrastructure in the region.
The goal is to establish guidelines for shipping and to carry out air and water monitoring activities, both of critical infrastructure and of all potential hostile actions in the territory of the Black Sea.
The centre would provide real-time monitoring of maritime traffic, early warnings of threats, and coordination against hostile activities. The protection mechanism would focus on safeguarding underwater cables, gas pipelines, and ports vulnerable to sabotage, as seen in past incidents like the Nord Stream pipeline explosions.
The intention to establish a strategic centre in Bulgaria is explained by the country’s strategic location. Bulgaria’s Varna and Burgas ports are critical NATO access points to the Black Sea. As both an EU and NATO member, Bulgaria offers a politically neutral hub compared to frontline states like Ukraine.
The plan is based on Bulgaria’s push to host a NATO shipping coordination hub, which stalled due to geopolitical sensitivities. Russia, which has repeatedly warned against NATO expansion in the Black Sea, may consider such a move as a security threat.
Security in the Black Sea is a key negotiation point between Washington and Moscow, though Bulgaria’s plan signals a Western-backed alternative. Moreover, the maritime security hub requires EU and NATO funding and participation from regional allies like Turkey, which has blocked NATO naval deployments under the Montreux Convention.
