site.btaFormer Government Vessel to Become Smart Artificial Reef

An ECO.BG initiative will transform the decommissioned motor vessel Atanas Dimitrov into Bulgaria’s first smart artificial reef equipped with sensors for real-time digital environmental monitoring, the ECO.BG team said on Friday.

A search is currently underway for the most suitable marine area with the necessary depth that meets all environmental and navigational safety standards for the vessel’s safe positioning through a controlled sinking operation. ECO.BG said that the vessel will be submerged at a depth of at least 25 metres, at a site where there is no silt on the seabed.

The first key stage in the preparation of the vessel has already been completed. Preparations of the living quarters on board are nearing completion. Work is now continuing at full speed in the "heart" of the vessel, where the complex process of decommissioning and dismantling machinery, aggregates and installations in the engine room is under way.

Built under Project 547, the vessel carries a part of the most significant moments in Varna’s history, ECO.BG recalled. The ship hosted events of state importance, and former communist leader Todor Zhivkov was frequently on board. It was from the Atanas Dimitrov that the official opening ceremony of the Asparuhov Bridge in Varna was observed.

Today, the vessel awaits its noblest final voyage. Instead of being scrapped, its history will be preserved as it is transformed from a symbol of a bygone era into a rich habitat for dozens of marine species.

The ECO.BG initiative is a long-term mission for restoring biodiversity in the Black Sea, bringing together business, science and society. Anyone wishing to leave their mark and support the green innovation can make an online donation through the official platform.