site.btaNaval Academy Celebrates Its 144th Anniversary

The Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy in Varna has trained hundreds of officers, owing to whom Bulgaria's maritime border is most secure and has never been violated, the Academy Rector, Flotilla Admiral Kalin Kalinov, said on Thursday at a celebration of the institution's 144th anniversary.

The Naval Academy was set up in the Danubian port of Ruse in 1881, two years after the establishment of the Bulgarian Navy, Kalinov said. It began issuing higher education diplomas in 1901 and received formal international recognition in 1960, a year after the founding of the International Maritime Organization. Forty years later, the Academy became one of the founders of the International Association of Maritime Universities.

Thousands of trainees have graduated from the Academy over the years, spreading its glory across the seven continents, the Admiral said, thanking all its friends and partners. He said the students and the cadets should be proud of their Academy and their predecessors.

Kalinov called for greater attention to the technological upgrading of defence study facilities to make training adequate to the present reality. He described as a "technological masterpiece" the first of two newbuilt multipurpose patrol vessels, the Hrabri, which will be added to the Navy fleet later in 2025. He noted, however, that technology cannot work without people. The decisive role of human courage, sacrifice and sense of duty is showcased in the Ukraine war, the Admiral said.

Ukrainian Ambassador to Bulgaria Olesya Ilashchuk, Varna Region Deputy Governor Airie Ibryamova, Varna City Deputy Mayor Pavel Popov, top brass, maritime business executives and public figures attended the celebration. A greetings message from President Rumen Radev was read out by his Military Security Adviser, Vice Admiral Mitko Petev.

The 144th anniversary of the Naval Academy was also marked with the opening of a photo exhibition about Antarctica and the press-launch of a book of memoirs about Admiral Branimir Ormanov.