Sector Ports & Harbors Project Type Bulk Port Project Title Port of Bourgas Expansion Project Location Bourgas, Republic of Bulgaria, Europe – Black Sea Client Port of Bourgas / JBIC Project Period 1999 – 2005 Problems addressed by the Project The Port of Bourgas is the largest seaport in Bulgaria and in 2003 celebrated its 100-year anniversary as a modern port. The Government of Bulgaria realized 20 years ago that the port needed expanding, but could not find adequate funding sources. In 1995, a master plan for the port tailored to the new economic and political realities in Eastern Europe was approved. It projected four new terminals (liquid, bulk cargo, Ro-Ro and Ferry, and container) as an extension to the present Port West, along with a new breakwater for protection and a new access channel. In the project formation phase, OC Global helped the client identify the priority components of the master plan for the first stage of execution. The Government of Bulgaria signed a loan agreement with JICA in 1998. Features of the Port of Bourgas expansion included: a new 15.5 m deep bulk cargo terminal with heavy cargo handling equipment, a new breakwater and a new access channel for 128,000 DWT bulk vessels. The Project was divided into two packages: (1) Civil and Dredging Works and (2) Cargo Handling Equipment. The Project has conferred the Port of Bourgas with the capacity to handle 6.5 million tons annually of bulk cargo, mainly iron ore, coal and coke. The new port will give a competitive edge to local industry, solve environmental problems by shifting the dusty bulk cargo away from residential quarters of the city, and secure space for the future construction of other terminals. Service Provided OC Global carried out preliminary assessment of the Project scope and feasibility. During the design stage we carried out site and geotechnical investigations and topographic, hydrographic, EIA, and coastal surveys and performed the preliminary and detailed design. An important aspect of the services was the ship maneuvering computer simulation study and environmental impact prediction with computer modeling of turbidity plumes during dredged material disposal and computer modeling of coastal changes because of dredging sand from the sea bottom for reclamation. The computer simulations reduced the project cost by allowing a narrower access channel and proving that there would be no adverse environmental impact on the tourist industry around the construction site. We introduced 2D and 3D computer simulation for verification with multiple computer models and obtained consistent reliable results.