Bulgarian Naval Research Vessel Helps Spanish Antarctic Explorers Open Field Camp on Byers Peninsula

Diana Dukovska, Martina Hristova

Bulgaria's RSV 421 helps Spanish scientists open a field camp on Byers Peninsula, February 7, 2024 (BTA Photo/Emil Granicharov)

Livingston Island,

07.02.2024 19:44

(BTA)

Tags

Antarctica

The Bulgarian naval research vessel Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii (RSV 421) is helping Spanish Antarctic explorers open a field camp on Byers Peninsula at the west end of Livingston Island. Late on February 6, the Bulgarian ship loaded materials from the Juan Carlos I Spanish Antarctic base, which are needed for research on the hard-to-reach, little explored peninsula.

Commanding Officer Nikolay Danailov talked to BTA about an ongoing operation in which RSV 421 is to transport and unload the materials on Byers Peninsula. "As part of the fine Bulgarian-Spanish cooperation on the Ice Continent, we continue to provide assistance to the Juan Carlos I Spanish base. Last night we loaded 7 or 8 tonnes of materials, to be transported to Byers Peninsula at the west end of Livingston Island. We will be unloading for about 24 hours so that the Spanish colleagues can open their field camp there," Danailov said.

The commanding officer stressed that this year the Spanish scientists rely entirely on help from RSV 421 for setting up a field camp. "This used to be done by other Spanish ships," he said. This is the first time that more than 10 Antarctic scientists from the Spanish polar programme will stay at the field camp. They will be joined by two Bulgarian scientists, Assoc. Prof. Docho Dochev and Assoc. Prof. Lyubomir Metodiev, who will do paleontology research.

Danailov also said: "I am proud that the Bulgarian-Spanish cooperation in Antarctica and the joint study of Livingston Island continues."

Dochev and Metodiev arrived at the St Kliment Ohridski Bulgarian Antarctic base with the fourth group of the 32nd national Antarctic expedition.

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During the 32nd Bulgarian expedition to Antarctica, which started on November 8, 2023, the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) is publishing interviews with Antarctic researchers. The Bulgaria-Antarctica BTA's Log again provides coverage of the voyage of the Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii to Antarctica and back and its stay there, as it did during the 31st expedition between December 27, 2022 and May 2, 2023. Back then, only BTA had a correspondent, Daily News Editor Konstantin Karagyozov, who covered the 127-day expedition with text, video and photos during the entire voyage (including across the Atlantic in both directions) and throughout the stay in Antarctica. In June 2023, BTA published in Bulgarian and in English an issue of its LIK magazine "To Antarctica and Back under the Bulgarian Flag" dedicated to the historic expedition.

Again, all of BTA's information on the Bulgarian scientific research in Antarctica and the support provided by the Bulgarian naval research vessel, as well as on the other activities at the Bulgarian Antarctic Base, will be available to all media outlets in Bulgarian and in English on BTA's website in the Bulgaria - Antarctica: BTA's Log section.

BTA has a National Press Club on board the ship and is planning to open a National Press Club at the Bulgarian Antarctic Base on Livingston Island.

/RY/