site.btaBulgarian Flag Hoisted above New Laboratory Building on Livingston Island

Now that the new laboratory building at the Bulgarian Antarctic Base on Livingston Island has been roofed, the Bulgarian flag was hoisted above it in line with an old Bulgarian tradition, BTA learnt from Prof. Christo Pimpirev, leader of the 32nd Bulgarian Antarctic Expedition and Director of the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute.

The 200 sq m building will accommodate a geological and a biological laboratory and a multifunctional room with workstations, a storehouse, a technical room, and bedrooms.

Building this exceedingly complicated structure was a challenge owing to the severe climate in that part of the world. It rests on a special platform secured by up to 9 m long pillars. "It is designed to serve faithfully the scientists in the 22nd century, where our children's children's children will work there," Prof. Pimpirev said. 

The Antarctic community is immensely grateful to the architects, designers, builders, the Bulgarian base logisticians, the crew of RSV-421 and everybody who selflessly worked on site, braving the harsh Antarctice conditions, so that this complicated structure could be finished before the start of the polar winter.

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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 opened a National Press Club at the Bulgarian Antarctic Base on Livingston Island.