site.btaBulgarian Research Vessel RSV 421 Sent Off on Fourth Antarctic Expedition

The Bulgarian naval research/survey vessel Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii (RSV 421) was sent off on its fourth Antarctic expedition with a solemn ceremony in Varna on Friday.

The ship is expected to reach the Bulgarian Antarctic Base on Livingston Island at the end of December, said Commander Radko Muevski, the vessel's Commanding Officer, adding that before that, the research ship will visit the Argentine port of Mar del Plata on December 15, and later, it will likely call at Ushuaia, Argentina, as well as Punta Arenas in Chile for the first time. The crew is scheduled to return home in mid-April 2026. 

"During the current expedition, we will also set foot on the Antarctic Peninsula," said the expedition leader, Bulgarian Antarctic Institute President Hristo Pimpirev. He noted that among the tasks of the scientists on this expedition will be geological surveys, which should establish whether there are rare earth elements and minerals in the area. "We are now a nation that does not simply transport containers across the seas, but also conducts scientific research," Prof. Pimpirev pointed out. He emphasized the partnership of Bulgarian polar explorers with the Navy, as without the fleet, scientists would not have acquired a modern scientific research base in Antarctica. "Our military sailors are already equal to nations that discovered new continents while we were subjects of the Ottoman Empire. Now, we are equal to them and we should be proud," Pimpirev stressed.

He emphasized the capabilities of the new laboratory at the Bulgarian Base on Livingston Island, which will be further equipped. "Antarctica is like another planet, it is a White Mars, and the laboratory will provide an opportunity for research in the field of all sciences," the researcher stated, adding that the number of projects on which Bulgarian scientists will work is increasing and they are already 26, and some of them are very large-scale projects with foreign participation. An oceanographic programme will be launched with an institute in Hamburg, Germany, Pimpirev noted, adding that the German partners have provided modern equipment on the Bulgarian research vessel for studying the movement of currents between the islands, as well as the Bransfield Strait, which separates the South Shetland Islands from the Antarctic mainland. This will allow the study of how much the sea level is rising and the rate of melting of glaciers, Pimpirev explained.

The head of the Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy (NVNA) in Varna, Fleet Admiral Prof. Kalin Kalinov, expressed special gratitude to Education and Science Minister Krasimir Valchev for his role in the acquisition of the research vessel Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii by Bulgaria. "This is the fourth consecutive year that the ship has left for Antarctica with a duly prepared crew, with material parts in order," Kalinov emphasized. He thanked everyone who helped make this come true.

The admiral also thanked BTA Director General Kiril Valchev, who announced that the news agency will once again have a correspondent on board the research vessel during the expedition. Kalinov said he is very happy that the ship's crew will once again be led by Commander Radko Muevski, who has proven himself to be an exceptionally good leader and professional during the past three expeditions.

"The truth is that these expeditions are an example that Bulgarians can stand united, that we can have continuity," Valchev emphasized, adding that BTA, through the information it disseminates and with its services being accessible to all journalists at no cost, helps to popularize Bulgarian Antarctic science.

NVNA plans to organize a conference on Antarctica, Kalinov announced after Valchev noted that the academy will be 145 years old in 2026. "This is a dignified age, and we would very much like to prepare a significant initiative to present," Kalinov said, noting that the conference could be dedicated to current issues of research in Antarctica and climate change.

In a message read out during the send-off, President Rumen Radev said Bulgaria has managed to consolidate its prestige as a leading nation in the study of Antarctica. "Bulgarian expeditions have become a symbol of high professionalism, dedication and significant contribution to fundamental scientific research in the fields of microbiology, medicine, ecology, marine biology, space research, oceanology and geology," the President stated.