site.btaBulgarian Naval Research Vessel RSV 421 to Set Sail on New Antarctic Expedition

The Bulgarian naval research vessel Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii (RSV 421) will set sail for the Bulgarian Antarctic Base on Livingston Island from Varna Port at 1:30 p.m on Wednesday. A solemn ceremony will be held to mark the start of the vessel's second voyage to Antarctica, the Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy said.

The ship's main task on this voyage is to transport the construction materials for the Bulgarian polar researchers' new modern laboratory, BTA learned from the head of the Naval Academy, Flotilla Admiral Boyan Mednikarov. Thanks to RSV 421, the researchers will have the opportunity to conduct studies not only on Livingston Island but also on Smith Island, which is also part of the South Shetland Islands archipelago.

At certain stages of the voyage, 24 cadets will board RSV 421 for practice. For the first time, the ship will stop at Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world. On her way back to Bulgaria, the ship will stop at Comodoro Rivadavia, Argentina.