Bulgarian Ship Hydrodynamics Centre
Bulgarian Ship Hydrodynamics Centre (BSHC) is situated in Varna - the largest town and important port along the Bulgarian west coast of the Black Sea. The Centre has been established in 1976 with the financial and expert support of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) as a scientific research and experimental center in the field of hydrodynamics of ships, floating objects and marine-based facilities. BSHC performs a wide spectrum of fundamental and applied research in the fields of ship hydrodynamics, aerodynamics, water transport, ocean and coastal engineering, sea and river crises and disasters, sea ecology, facilities for fisheries and aquacultures, renewable energy sources, national security and defense.
In parallel with the scientific R&D activity and in cooperation with local universities such as the Naval Academy and the Technical University - Varna, the Centre performs also training of students, cadets, PhD students, post-graduate students and trainees in the fields of its competence: ship theory, fluid mechanics, river and sea coast structures.
The scientific research and training infrastructure of BSHC comprises of two large towing tanks - a deep water tank for testing oceangoing ships and structures and a shallow tank for testing inland vessels, one manoeuvring and seakeeping (wave) basin, cavitation tunnel with two working sectors, wind tunnel, CAD-CAM systems for design and manufacturing of ship propellers, fan impellers, turbines, wind generators, ship models and details with complex geometry, technical laboratories for preparation of the tests, numerous training rooms and a large lecturing hall.
In 1975, BSHC has been appointed as official member of the International Towing Tanks Conference (ITTC) and a seat in the Advisory Council has been offered to the BSHC management, considering the size and international recognition of the facility. At a later stage, BSHC specialists regularly became members of major ITTC Technical Committees.
BSHC is a member of several widely recognized international professional organizations, such as:
- European Council for Maritime Applied R&D (ECMAR Association)
- EU Technological Platform WATERBORNE
- International Maritime Association of Mediterranean (IMAM)
joining their efforts to enhance the effectiveness of the research and innovation capacities of the European maritime industry. Towards coordinated maritime research policy, BSHC regularly apply jointly with other partners for transnational collaborative research projects.