M.S. DIMITAR BLAGOEV
Navigation Maritime Bulgare
Bulgaria
Photo taken in Istanbul,
Turkey, 1980's.
Built: 1969 by Georgi Dimitrov Shipyard, Varna, Bulgaria.
Technical:
Overall length: 68 m Beam: 10.11 m Draft: 5.46 m Gross Tonnage: 1129 tons Passengers: 94 Power: 2 diesels, 1200 HP Service Speed: 14.0 knots Operating Routes: Aegean, Mediterranean and Black Sea. Sister Ships: M.S. Georgi Kirkov (CMB), M.S. Kamensk (BLASCO), M.S. Kanin (BLASCO), M.S. Yushar (BLASCO). Former Names: None Later Names: None History and Current Status: She used to carry
passengers between Bulgaria, and various Mediterranean ports like Istanbul and
Piraeus. I belive that in 1997, M.S. Dimitar
Blagoev got handed over to the Bulgarian Navy that uses her as an auxilary
training vessel in the Black Sea under the same name. I have no information on
if she is still in service or not, as of January 2002. The same also goes for M.S. Georgi Kirkov.
(email all info about her to ata.bilgili@dartmouth.edu) Notes: I do not know much about M.S. Dimitar Blagoev or
M.S. Georgi Kirkov. They were those two very small and cute passenger vessels that
usually got lost in the company of larger cruise vessels docked at Istanbul.
Belonging to a country that did not have much of a passenger fleet history
probably did not help them either. However, defying their size and age, they
kept sailing and sailing well into the 90's and they sure deserve a hand for
their services over the years. I should have given them the attention they
deserved and should have taken more pictures. It is funny that I have a photo of
M.S. Dimitar Blagoev and not of M.S. Georgi Kirkov, since the latter was the one
that I kept seeing regularly.
Links: Line Drawings: From the book "Soviet Bloc Merchant Ships" by
Bruno Bock and Klaus Bock, 1981. Other Pictures:
- 1969-1997: Navigation Maritime Bulgare, Varna, Bulgaria.
- 1997-Present: Bulgarian Navy.
- M.S.
Dimitar Blagoev record in World Navies Today:Bulgaria, by Andrew Toppan.
- M.S.
Dimitar Blagoev record in Shipnet Maritime Information Service.
-
Navigation Maritime Bulgare.
