Cadet Radoslav Neshev: A Sailor Must Be Responsibile, Determined and Disciplined

A sailor must be responsible, determined and disciplined, said Radoslav Neshev, a naval cadet at the Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy in Varna, who is part of the crew of the Bulgarian research vessel Sv.Sv Kiril i Metodii (NAVAL RSV 421) traveling to Livingstone Island.

Neshev is 22 years old, a native of Lovech, North-central Bulgaria. He has liked the city of Varna since childhood. In the 8th grade, he became interested in the Naval Academy and the specializations it offered. He discovered that there was a navy specialty.

"Most young people my age enroll in a maritime school under the same specialization, but as students. Our specialization is exactly the same, but we receive two educations - one is military and the other is for the civilian fleet. This is one of the advantages we get as servicemen," Neshev said.

He added that so far he has participated in all but one of the fleet battalions. "I have also decided where to serve - in Varna’s Third Battalionin. This battalion consists of mine destroyers, with three minesweepers and two mine hunters in its composition," explained Neshev.

"In the middle of the third year, we started to study mine-destroying weapons, and I found it quite interesting," the cadet said.

There are 23 cadets on board the NAVAL RSV 421, divided into four crews, each crew having four navigators and two mechanics. "We are divided into three shifts. They consist of four hours, after which we rest for eight hours," explained Neshev.

NAVAL RSV 421 is sailing across the Atlantic Ocean on its way to the second stop on the voyage to Livingstone Island, Mar del Plata in Argentina. The ship is expected to arrive in Mar del Plata in early February. There, scientists from the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute, led by their chairman Prof. Hristo Pimpirev, as well as scientists from Spain's polar programme will board the vessel.

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.