Scientific paper ID 2369 : 2023/3

One of the main tasks of modern logistics is to increase the speed of delivery of goods from the sender to the recipient. Extremely important for this purpose is the reduction of intermediate loading and unloading operations, which are imposed by various factors along the route of the chain. In the Black Sea region, and in particular for Bulgaria, a solution to these problems in the logistics chains is ferry rail transport. From the Bulgarian side, the Ferry Complex - Varna, which has been operating without interruption since 1974, participates in the logistics chain. The initial sea railway connection is performed by 4 ferry ships with the capacity to transport 108 wagons each on the Varna - Ilichevsk line. Since 2009, a complete ferry network has been operating within the Black Sea, which s Russia and Georgia. Crises such as the global Covid pandemic and the military conflict in Ukraine have a significant impact on transport in the Black Sea, part of which is ferry rail transport. The report examines the volumes and types of cargo that passed through the Ferry Complex - Varna in the last 5 years. The study also analyzes the changes in freight flows as a result of the mentioned global and local crises.