Bulgaria’s Newest Vessel Joins Fleet

Bulgaria's newest battleship was adopted in the ranks of Bulgarian Navy Forces on Sunday. The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev, Defense Minister Vesselin Bliznakov and Chief of Army Staff General Nikola Kolev. The frigate adopted the name "Druzki" (Intrepid) was purchased from Belgium at the cost of $27.3M. As a NATO member Bulgaria has engaged to execute a thorough modernization of its army forces. The frigate, whose previous name was Vandelaar, is a multi-task battleship with modern equipment and armament for the Alliance's terrorist traffic control operations in the Black and Mediterranean seas.