site.btaUPDATED Capabilities of Bulgarian Polar Programme Are Expanding - Commander Muevski

In an interview for BTA, Commander Radko Muevski, the Commanding Officer of the Bulgarian naval research vessel Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii (RSV 421), said that the cooperation between RSV 421 and the St Kliment Ohridski Bulgarian Antarctic Base on Livingston Island is very good, with established teamwork, and clear responsibilities. The capabilities of the Bulgarian polar programme are expanding, as scientists see that they have the opportunity to reach more distant places with the ship and acquire data and collect samples more quickly.

Commenting on the 34th Bulgarian Antarctic expedition, Muevski said: "It is clear that we have greater capabilities when it comes to projects. We continue to build on this every year, and this year we have again upgraded with a new type of equipment that we are launching from the ship. This is a very important conclusion for our programme and for the work of the ship, and I hope that this trend will continue in the coming years and seasons. I can say that the season has been successful."

He noted that during this season, the ship and its crew have facilitated a variety of projects. These include collecting samples for microbiologist Snezhana Rusinova-Videva, assisting Vesna Macic from Montenegro with her research on microplastics in the Antarctic region, as well as Aleksandar Joksimovic, also from Montenegro, with his work.

Muevski reported: "Another major project we are involved in is the study of ocean currents in the Bransfield Strait and the Antarctic Strait, which is a great experience for us and an opportunity to further develop our capabilities in conducting such projects. This project was carried out in collaboration with a German institute [the Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment in Oldenburg] with considerable experience in marine research." He added that German scientists Emil Stanev and Michel Albinos had previously installed equipment that was used in the field.

Greek oceanographers Dionysia Rigatou and Eleni Kytinou collected samples during the expedition. Romanian geomorphologist Daniela Pascal was also assisted with collecting samples.

Bulgarian geophysicist Kiril Velkovski continued working on his project for underwater filming of the bottom of the South Bay. Muevski added: "At the same time, while he was performing bathymetric surveying with a boat from the base, we used the ship to survey the coastline according to physicist Oleg Vasilev's project, using photogrammetry. This was then superimposed on the bathymetry map to produce a complete picture of the terrain."

Muevski reported that this year, the ship achieved a record stay of 55 days in Antarctica. "For us, this is a test of willpower and of people, and I can say that everyone performed excellently. We have a stable crew and very good professionals. I can say the same about the base and all the people involved in the expedition," he added.

The Bulgarian naval research vessel Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii (RSV 421) departed for Antarctica from Varna, on the Black Sea, on November 7, 2025. After a month-long voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, the ship arrived at the Argentine naval base in Mar del Plata on December 13.

BTA has had a national press club on board the ship since 2022 and another on Livingston Island since February 2024. These are added to the news agency’s other 41 national press clubs (33 in Bulgaria, seven abroad in neighbouring countries and in nations with large Bulgarian communities, and one mobile National Book Press Club). BTA's Director General Kiril Valchev announced ahead of the fourth voyage to Antarctica on November 7, 2025, that the national news agency would send a special correspondent in January-February 2026.

He said the press clubs exist thanks to the generous support of RSV 421 and Bulgaria’s St Kliment Ohridski Base, which provide the necessary facilities.

The news items of BTA's special correspondents on RSV 421 and Antarctica are freely available in Bulgarian and English on the agency's website. They can be used free of charge by all media, with attribution to BTA. Valchev recalled that thanks to its correspondents, the news agency appears among the top results on Google when searching for the phrase "Antarctica correspondent".