Day 12: Supplies for Juan Carlos I Spanish Antarctic Station Loaded on Bulgaria's NAVAL RSV 421

Early on January 7, the crew of Bulgaria's Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii (NAVAL RSV 421) and Spanish harbour workers started loading operations, which are expected to continue all day while the vessel is docked in Cartagena.

RSV 421 is carrying building materials, food supplies and other consumables for the Bulgarian Antarctic Base on Livingston Island. In addition, as part of long-standing cooperation between the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute and the Spanish one, the Bulgarian ship is loading supplies for the Juan Carlos I Spanish Antarctic Station, which is adjacent to Bulgaria's Sv. Kliment Ohridski Antarctic Base.

"The loading of supplies for the Spanish Antarctic Station began early this morning. We will start by loading a refrigerated container of food supplies for the Juan Carlos I Station, then we will load a second container. The processes are dynamic, today we also expect to get ship fuel, deliver the sewage, and receive food supplies," the ship's Commanding Officer Nikolay Danailov told BTA.

The crew's goal is to take the ship off the pier and head for Gibraltar by 2000 hrs local time, weather conditions and port schedule permitting, he added.

The Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii is on its historic first voyage to Livingston Island in the South Shetlands in support of the 31st Bulgarian Antarctic Expedition. The ship is expected to reach its destination in some 40 days. It sailed off from Varna on the Black Sea on December 27, 2022.

BTA's Daily News editor Konstantin Karagyozov is the only member of the media who is travelling on board the ship to Livingston Island and back, and will cover the Bulgarian expedition on site throughout the stay in Antarctica.

All media outlets can use the Bulgaria-Antarctica BTA's Log for free.