Bulgarian cabinet wanted to improve Bulgarian merchant shipping according to the Dutch newspaper Algemeen Handelsblad dated 6 September 1941

An item reported that the Bulgarian cabinet decided in 1939 to increase and improve the Bulgarian shipping on the Danube and in the Black Sea area. With adding Macedonia and Thrace to the Bulgarian authority was a strong merchant fleet important while there was now a direct connection with the Aegean Sea. Until then there was just one important shipping Bulgarian shipping company based at Burgas and active between the Bulgarian harbours and Belgium. To realize was an large shipbuilding program needed based on earlier programs. Two cargo ship with a total tonnage of 1.600 tons were to be laid down and 5 new passenger-cargo ships to serve on the Aegean Sea