It is reported that Bulgaria's major Danube ports appear to be already hit hard by the effects of the global financial crisis, which is reducing the volume of international trade.

The losses that Bulgaria's western Danube port of Lom and the central port of Svishtov are starting to suffer from the effects of the global financial crisis are added to the losses they have been incurring as a result of the troubles at the Kremikovtzi steel maker.

The Port Complex Ruse, which operates four Danube ports in the east Ruse, Silistra, Tutrakan and Somovit, is already seeing significant declines in the volume of goods that it is processing and expects that the trend would worsen in 2009.