One of the main activities of EAEMDR – Ruse is the maintenance of the fairway in the section from Somovit (rkm 610) to Silistra (rkm 375) with a total length of 235 rkm and the maintenance of the coastal (navigational) signalling on the Bulgarian bank in the entire common Bulgarian- Romanian section – from Timok river (rkm 845) to Silistra (rkm 375) with total length of 470 rkm. The Romanian side is responsible for the maintenance of the fairway in the section from Timok river to Somovit as well as the coastal signalling along the entire Romanian border. The maintenance of the waterway is carried out through installing floating navigational signals, which surround it and coastal navigational signals (situated on the riverside or on islands) which indicate dangers for navigation, conditions for access or denied access, manoeuvring or stay in the aquatory of the river out of the fairway or have indicative character.In the current moment the floating signals are controlled weekly and the changes, if necessary, are made every three days. These signals are not equipped with sensors and due to this fact it is not possible for the operative office of EAEMDR to control their location from distance in real time. It often happens that signals are replaced or lost, because of passing vessels (convoys). In this case the respective section will stay without signals until the next specialized vessel for maintenance of the waterway passes by which is unfavourable for the safety of navigation. In other cases the accumulators of the lighting signals are taken away without permission and thus the meaning of the floating signal changes. This is unfavourable for the safety of navigation as well.Fulfilling the project will result in attaining the levels of equipment available to the Romanian side, which will result in unified quality of measurements and proper marking of the Bulgarian-Romanian common sector which will definitely improve the safety of navigation.The measures for improvement of the systems for navigation are an important component for ensuring safety navigation along the Danube which is one of the priorities not only on national, but on international level as well.ObjectivesThe general objective of the project is to ensure better conditions and safety navigation through improvement of the navigational systems and the topo-hydrographical measurements in the Bulgarian section of the Danube River. This will be achieved through the implementation of the following specific objectives:• Modernisation of the monitoring networks and the methods for collecting, processing and analysing of data for quantitative assessment of the Danube waters in compliance with the requirements of the WMO, The Danube River Protection Convention, Water Framework Directive and ICPDR.• Achievement of the international standards for implementation of topographic (geodetic) measurements, together with hydrological and hydrographical activities, necessary for studying of the changes in the inland waterways according to the requirements of the national legislation.• Unification and improvement of the quality of marking the navigational way along the common Romanian-Bulgarian section of the Danube River.• Decreasing the time for providing information to the stakeholders and improvement of the quality of the service.• Rehabilitation and improvement of the basic infrastructure of the geodetic control network along the Danube River.