Georgi Peev of Bulgaria’s Ministry of Transport and Communications urged Hungary to open Danube navigation corridors on 28 October 2026 so that Bulgarian ships stranded in Hungarian waters for two months can proceed. The plea followed a letter from the Bulgarian Danube Chamber (BDC) to the ministry, which blamed restrictions imposed by Hungarian dredging activity as the cause of the blockage. Peev said the government was monitoring the situation and was prepared to raise the issue with European institutions if a timely solution was not found.
The request was made after a phone call between Peev and Hungary’s Minister of Transport and Investment David Vitezy, during which securing time slots for the passage of vessels was noted as the main topic. The BDC members and vessel owners who spoke to Peev also shared their belief that the river remains navigable but is blocked by Hungarian dredging limits.
Independent Bulgarian reports from the past 20 hours have described dozens of Bulgarian ships as blocked in the Hungarian section of the Danube. These outlets repeatedly cite the BDC’s letter to the Ministry of Transport and the ministry’s statement that the vessels have been stranded for two months.
