site.btaBulgarian Naval Research Vessel RSV 421 Returns from Deception Island

The Bulgarian naval research vessel Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii (RSV 421) sailed to Deception Island and back to carry out a transfer of six Spanish scientists from the Spanish Antarctic base Gabriel de Castilla. They will later be transported to King George Island.

The ship will spend the night anchored in Livingston Island's Emona Bay near the Bulgarian Antarctic base before sailing to King George Island to transfer Bulgarian and Spanish polar researchers, Commander Radko Muevski, the vessel’s Commanding Officer, told BTA.

Three Bulgarians from the construction team in charge of the Bulgarian base's new laboratory unit arrived on Livingston Island aboard the Spanish ship Odon de Buen. Work continued on the laying of a power cable for the unit.

On February 8, the fifth group of the 33rd Bulgarian Antarctic Expedition is expected to arrive at King George Island. The group includes Prof. Christo Pimpirev, head of the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute, Sofia University Rector Prof. Georgi Valchev, Assoc. Prof. Yuri Kuchev, Kremena Georgieva, a representative of Kaufland, Kiril Kandilarov from Kandilarov laboratories, Lyubov Kostova, Kalin Mutafchiev from the Ministry of Education and Science, a film crew consisting of Yuliana Chalakova, Feimi Daut, Wolfgang Knopfler, and Danail Vuchkov, Elena Georgieva, journalist Zhivko Konstantinov, and representatives of the Natural History Museum in Plovdiv - Kristiyan Vladov and Stefan Kyurkchiev. In South America, they will be joined by Prof. Boyan Mednikarov from the Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy and Alexander Nedyalkov.

RSV 421 departed from Varna on its third Antarctic expedition on November 7, 2024, and arrived at Livingston Island on December 28. The St Kliment Ohridski Bulgarian Antarctic Base on Livingston Island opened for the new polar season on November 23, 2024.

BTA has a national press club on the vessel and at the Bulgarian Antarctic base. This is the third year in a row that BTA has sent a correspondent to Antarctica. This year's correspondent is Milena Ostrovska, who arrived at the base on January 17. Her reports can be accessed free in English at Bulgaria-Antarctica BTA's Log on BTA's website and can be used for free by all media with attribution to BTA.