site.btaBulgarian Naval Research Ship Welcomes 5,000-Plus Visitors in Argentina's Comodoro Rivadavia

More than 5,000 residents of the Argentinian city of Comodoro Rivadavia, which is home to a significant community of descendants of Bulgarian immigrants from a century ago, toured the Bulgarian naval research vessel Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii (NAVAL RSV 421), the Naval Academy in Varna (on the Black Sea) reported on Sunday. 

RSV 421 stopped in Comodoro Rivadavia on its way back to Bulgaria from the Bulgarian Antarctic base on Livingston Island. 

The city of 180,000 people, which is the largest in the Argentine province of Chubut in Patagonia, is home to about 2,000 descendants of Bulgarian immigrants from a century ago. At a meeting in the Bulgarian community, the ship's Commanding Officer, Commander Nikolay Danailov, quoted figures from the port administration, according to which more than 5,000 visitors came on board RSV 421. 

The Rector of the Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy, Flotilla Admiral Prof. Boyan Mednikarov, quoted Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel as saying that this Bulgarian ship is one of the most effective Bulgarian diplomats. "We are fascinated by the love of the descendants of the Bulgarians in Comodoro Rivadavia for everything Bulgarian, including our ship, and by the unprecedented interest of the town residents," said Mednikarov.

"No politician can make such an advertisement for Bulgaria as the Bulgarian ship and the Antarctic expedition members," said the head of the 32nd Bulgarian Antarctic expedition Prof. Hristo Pimpirev, who also arrived in Comodoro Rivadavia on board RSV 421 together with a group from the expedition.  

The Bulgarian ship announced open its doors to the residents of Comodoro Rivadavia for two days on 16 and 17 February between 10 am and 8 pm. There were queues on the pier all the time, and there was also a queue to enter the harbour. Guests also queued for photos with the ship's Commanding Officer and other crew members. 

Port authorities provided buses for the visitors, and the Argentine Navy ensured order.

The ship set sail from Comodoro Rivadavia on Sunday morning to its next stop - the Argentinian port city of Mar del Plata.