site.btaBulgarian Antarctic Expedition Reaches Livingston Island After 14,000 km Journey

The third group of the 33rd Antarctic expedition, which includes BTA correspondent Milena Ostrovska, arrived at Livingston Island around 22:00 on January 17, 2025.

The Bulgarian naval research vessel Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii (RSV 421) met and transported the team of Antarctic explorers from King George Island to Livingston Island, which is part of the South Shetland Islands archipelago.

The third group of Bulgaria's 33rd National Antarctic Expedition departed on January 11 from Sofia Airport for Rome en route to Rio Gallegos, Punta Arenas, King George Island and Livingston Island.

The team also includes photographer and field assistant Aleksandar Valchev, water and wastewater engineer Boris Tsankov, expedition medic Sevda Mihaylova, Romanian geomorphologist Daniela Pascal, journalist Maria Cherneva, and camera operator Anna Andreeva.

During their almost seven-day journey, the group travelled 14,000 km by plane, bus, and ship to arrive at the Bulgarian Antarctic base, which began its new polar season on November 23, 2024.

The Bulgarian naval research vessel Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii (RSV 421) departed from Varna for its third Antarctic expedition on November 7, 2024, and arrived at Livingston Island on December 28.

BTA has a national press club on the vessel and at the Bulgarian Antarctic base St. Kliment Ohridski. This marks the third consecutive year that BTA has sent a correspondent to Antarctica.