site.btaAdmiral Boyan Mednikarov, Prof. Miroslav Tsvetkov Hold Working Meeting with Scientists Aboard RSV 421

Flotilla Admiral Boyan Mednikarov (Ret.) and Prof. Miroslav Tsvetkov held a working meeting with scientists aboard the research vessel Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii (RSV 421).

The meeting focused on scientific projects currently being carried out on board the vessel. Mednikarov said that during the last couple of expeditions the ship’s main focus had been logistics, leaving limited capacity for research, and added that the crew aims to provide better support for scientific work during future Antarctic expeditions. 

Montenegrin scientists Vesna Macic and Aleksandar Jerkovic are conducting projects on seawater and the presence of microplastics in both marine and terrestrial environments. They noted that closer coordination with the ship’s crew and greater use of on-board equipment would help expand cooperation with Bulgarian Antarctic expeditions. Jerkovic stressed that the project would be impossible without the crew’s assistance. 

Greek researchers Eleni Kytinou and Dionysia Rigatou are also carrying out a project on phytoplankton and food webs in Antarctic waters, partly from aboard RSV 421. They highlighted the importance of the crew’s cooperation, adequate space for equipment, and suitable conditions on board for filtering and storing samples. 

Prof. Tsvetkov said a responsible coordinator from Bulgaria's Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy in Varna (on the Black Sea) may be appointed to ensure the timely and effective implementation of scientific projects on board RSV 421 during future expeditions. 

The Bulgarian research vessel departed Varna for Antarctica on November 7 and arrived at the Argentine naval base in Mar del Plata on December 13, 2025, after a month-long Atlantic crossing.

The Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) has operated a National Press Club aboard RSV 421 since 2022 and another at the Bulgarian Antarctic base St. Kliment Ohridski on Livingston Island since February 2024. 

Materials by BTA’s special correspondents aboard RSV 421 and in Antarctica are published on BTA's website and are freely available for use with attribution.