Bulgaria's ports will be closed off to ships certified by the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping from April 8 "regardless of their flag of registry", the Bulgarian Maritime Administration reported on April 6.
Since April 2022, Russian ships have been prohibited from entering Bulgarian ports. However, this new rule aims to tighten restrictions so ships certified by the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping cannot attempt to enter the country under a different flag.
The decision was made by the Bulgarian Maritime Administration to more closely align with the the European Union's economic sanctions against Russia due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The European Council issued a press release on March 13 extending sanctions against 1,473 individuals and 205 entities who support Russia's war aganst Ukraine for an additional six months.
As per the press release, the sanctions consist of denying the individuals entry into the EU, freezing assets held in the EU, and prohibiting EU citizens from providing any economic aid to the entities and individuals in question.
According to the European Council, they hope the sanctions will deprive Russia of the ability to sustain the war by weakening its economy and denying it access to essential technologies and markets, diminishing its capacity to wage war.
